Iraq/Afghanistan

I am committed to supporting our troops as we fight the War on Terror and oppose mandating withdrawal deadlines. All Americans want to see an end to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan– but artificial deadlines undermine our Generals, put our troops at risk, and compromise our progress in the overall war on terror. It is imperative that we craft responsible legislation that adequately funds our troops.

I was pleased to see the President ultimately took the advice of the Generals on the ground and added 34,000 more troops to Afghanistan. This move shows that our strategy in the Afghan war, though different from Iraq in important ways, relies in part on General Petraeus’ surge strategy that has been so successful in Iraq. Achieving stability in urban centers has been the first step in securing the population and winning the confidence of our Afghan partners. As we have seen in Iraq, once we achieve stability and show the civilian population that we are there to help them and not rule them, we can begin to achieve peace and stability and begin to bring our troops home. However, I’m concerned about the pace of our scheduled drawdown this year. Some of our Generals have expressed concern over the pace of our withdrawal, and casualties have been up in recent months. No one wants a withdrawal at the expense of our hard-fought gains until a secure and strong Afghani security apparatus is in place. I want our troops to come home knowing they have fought successfully to ensure a more secure homeland for Americans.

In light of recent attacks by both Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan at Ft. Hood and the Christmas Bomber on Flight 253, we must remember that the enemy is constantly looking for weaknesses in our defense. It is imperative that we remain on the offense by eliminating terrorist strongholds and keeping Islamic fundamentalists in retreat. Our efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as drone attacks on the Pakistan border and the killing of Osama bin Laden, bring the fight to those who wish us harm and help ensure their operational capacity is diminished.

Our troops need to know that our Nation supports them and honors their sacrifice – and that our leaders are doing all within their power to bring an honorable conclusion to the war.