I believe that we must bring an end to the war in Iraq. As the first New York Senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I remain focused on the many challenges we face there. I have urged the Bush Administration to end the failed policy in Iraq that forces our troops to police a civil war. And I am working hard in the Senate to advance a strategy to redeploy our troops out of Iraq as quickly and as safely as possible.

Unfortunately, the Administration continues to pursue the same broken policy in Iraq. Our troops have done everything we have asked of them and more. I believe it is time to start bringing them home. Throughout 2007, I voted in favor of numerous legislative efforts requiring the Administration to begin to withdraw our troops and to complete the redeployment of combat troops in 2008. I will continue to be a strong advocate for such efforts to end the war.

I have also called on the Administration to be clear that the United States will not seek and will not maintain permanent bases in Iraq. Attempts to establish such permanent bases would damage U.S. interests in Iraq and the broader region, and I will continue to strongly oppose such efforts. In November 2007, the Bush Administration announced an agreement to start formal negotiations for a long-term security pact between the United States and Iraq. The agreement unfortunately failed to clearly indicate that the United States would not seek or maintain permanent bases in Iraq. As a result, I introduced legislation in the Senate – the Congressional Oversight of Iraq Agreements Act of 2007 – to require the President to obtain Congressional approval for any bilateral agreement that would extend the U.S. military commitment to Iraq.

I traveled to Iraq in January 2007 to assess the situation there firsthand. This was my third visit to the country, where I expressed my gratitude to our troops on the ground and met with Iraqi leaders and U.S. commanders. I came back from the trip determined to stop the President’s escalation, and to start the long overdue redeployment of troops out of Iraq. In February 2007, I introduced the Iraq Troop Protection and Reduction Act to halt the President’s escalation policy and to provide an alternative strategy to stabilize the country – a strategy that would enable the President to end the war before he leaves office.

Listed below are statements and remarks by Senator Clinton concerning the war in Iraq.