FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 03, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi Statement on Senator Frist’s Comments on the Taliban in Afghanistan

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on Senate Majority Leader Bill First’s comments that the Taliban should be included in the government in Afghanistan:

“We went to war in Afghanistan five years ago to crush the Taliban for the role it played in the 9/11 attacks.  Senator Frist now suggests that the best way forward in Afghanistan is to coddle the Taliban by welcoming Taliban members into a coalition government, as if 9/11 had never happened. 

“The Taliban remain a threat because, as Senator Frist has apparently just learned, President Bush did not finish the job against terrorism in Afghanistan before deciding to launch his ill-advised invasion of Iraq.  The consequences of that decision, which the Republican Congressional leaders continue to ignore, are evident everywhere: in the abysmal security situation in Iraq; the unacceptable readiness conditions in our Army and Marine Corps; and the resurgent Taliban.  It is long past time that the President refocuses our attention on the war on terror and finishes the job in Afghanistan.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi