Congressman Elijah E. Cummings Proudly Representing Maryland's 7th District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 8, 2006

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Devika Koppikar
(202) 225-4741 or (202) 225-4025
Trudy Perkins
(410) 685-9199 or (202) 225-4741
Mike Christianson
(410) 685-9199 or (202) 225-9876

Washington, DC -  Today, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD) commented on the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Congressman Cummings said, "While I am pleased that there will be new leadership at the Pentagon, it is critical that the new leadership bring new policies and a definitive strategy for the war in Iraq.

"Secretary Rumsfeld gave no clear direction for winning the war or extricating our soldiers from what is increasingly a civil conflict in that nation.

"I am hopeful that Robert Gates, who is expected to replace Mr. Rumsfeld as Defense Secretary, will approach the burden of this office and of our current conflicts with thoughtfulness and with a willingness to work with our new leadership in Congress to craft a new policy that will accomplish our objectives as quickly as possible.

"Nearly 3,000 American soldiers have been killed in the war in Iraq and more than 21,000 have been injured. To ensure that these sacrifices have not been in vain, we must commit ourselves to moving forward with a new strategy toward a shared goal."