It is time for our troops in Iraq to come home. It’s time for us to bring them home swiftly. But we have a moral obligation and a constitutional obligation to bring them home safely, and that is why I support the Reid resolution.
I believe what the Iraq Study Group said – that the Iraq problems cannot be solved with a military solution, no matter how brave, no matter how smart. It requires a political solution by the Iraqis and a diplomatic solution with Iraq’s neighbors. The Reid resolution develops a comprehensive diplomatic, political and economic strategy and requires the President to report back to Congress within 60 days.
The Reid resolution also sets a goal of bringing all U.S. combat forces home by March 31, 2008, except for limited numbers of troops for force protection, training of Iraqi troops and targeted counterterrorism operations. It would begin a phased redeployment within four months after the passage of this legislation.
During the last few weeks I’ve had people sit-in my office four times. Some come to protest. Some come to get arrested. All have a right to speak out. They want me to vote against the spending bill for the war, which I will not do. I will not vote to in any way to harm the men and women in the U.S. military, nor will I cut off the support to their families. In ending the war, as I said, it’s my responsibility to ensure that our troops are brought home not only swiftly, but safely. I’m going to support this resolution because I think it helps bring the war to an honorable end while continuing to support our troops. It is time to stop the finger-pointing and it’s time to pinpoint a new way forward.