Washington, DC - Senate and House Democratic Leaders and ranking members from the key national security committees today wrote to the President about the continued deterioration of the security situation in Iraq. Citing the escalating violence in the five weeks since the leaders' July 30 letter to the President, the letter calls for a new direction in Iraq to include the beginning of a phased redeployment of U.S. troops before the end of 2006. In addition to again urging the President to consider changing his Iraq policy, the letter urges the President to change the civilian leadership at the Department of Defense.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) issued the following statement in support of their letter:

“Today’s letter to President Bush on Iraq by Democratic leaders on committees with oversight of military, intelligence and international affairs once again clearly lays out the failures in the Bush Administration’s policy towards Iraq. As the letter states, and as I endorsed in the Levin-Reed amendment, I support a phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq that should begin before the end of 2006; and U.S. forces in Iraq should transition to a more limited mission focused on counterterrorism, training and logistical support of Iraqi security forces, and force protection of U.S. personnel. I again strongly encourage President Bush to change course in Iraq and take into account the recommendations from these Democratic leaders, including changing the civilian leadership at the Defense Department, and therefore support efforts by Senate Democratic Leaders to bring a measure to the floor that calls for such a change.”

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