U.S.
Senator Member: Agriculture, Energy, Veterans' Affairs, Ethics and Aging Committees |
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For Immediate
Release June 22, 2006 |
CONTACT: Cody Wertz – Comm. Director 303-455-7600 Andrew Nannis – Press Secretary 202-224-5852 |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – United States Senator Ken Salazar voted today for the Iraq Policy Act of 2006. After his vote, Senator Salazar released the following statement: “I want the United States to succeed in Iraq. For that to happen we need Iraqis to take greater responsibility for their own security and future. I have every confidence in our troops; they are performing admirably in extremely dangerous circumstances. We need a policy worthy of them. “The amendment I co-sponsored sets no specific timeline for removing US troops. It does not address the speed or pace of redeployment. It does not call for a precipitous withdrawal of U.S. Forces from Iraq. What it does is say that the Iraqi government and its people have the ultimate responsibility for achieving their own security – an imperative if the Iraqi government is to survive. “Americans and Iraqis need to know that we are not just staying a meandering course with no end in sight. Iraq’s national security advisor recently noted that the legitimacy of the democratically elected Iraqi government is called into question by our open-ended presence. The United States and Iraq need a sense of a clear destination and a distinct path. This amendment asked the President to lay that roadmap out in an appropriate and timely fashion.” Last year, by a vote of 79-16, the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation that declared 2006 should be a year of transition in Iraq. The Amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill that Senator Salazar co-sponsored builds on that legislation and outlines the following steps for advancing the chances of success in Iraq:
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