Washington, D.C. – Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) today issued the following statement in response to General Petraeus’ report to Congress.

The Bush-Petraeus report urges a continuation of the status quo. As three independent reports have pointed out, President Bush’s stay-the-course policy has failed.  Each report makes clear that the security situation in Iraq remains extremely dangerous and volatile.  General Petraeus himself has said that there is no military solution to Iraq -- only a political solution is possible.  Nothing I heard from General Petraeus or Ambassador Crocker reassures me that there is a coherent strategy to achieve the political changes in Iraq that will lead to a successful conclusion there.

I believe our armed forces have served bravely and admirably.  Where they are sent to fight, they win battles. The failure of a coherent political and diplomatic strategy in Iraq is a failure of command and a failure of leadership, not a failure of our troops. The time is long past to bring them home.  Their brave service in Iraq has not been honored with a realistic plan by their commanders to bring the Iraq War to a suitable conclusion.  I remain committed to ending this President’s failed war.

I voted against beginning this war in 2002 and have voted with a majority of my Democratic colleagues since on a variety of measures to end the war. Unfortunately, most of my Republican colleagues and President Bush refuse to stand with the American people and end these disastrous policies.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren is serving her seventh term in Congress representing most of the City of San Jose and Santa Clara County.  She serves as Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. She also Chairs the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee.  Congresswoman Lofgren is Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation consisting of 34 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives from California.