Sen. Salazar Welcomes Added Momentum for a New Direction in Iraq

Sen. Salazar Welcomes Added Momentum for a New Direction in Iraq

United States Senator Ken Salazar released the following statement upon the release of the Iraq Study Group's report today.

"The momentum is building for a new direction in Iraq. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation followed by the nomination of a qualified and candid replacement in Robert Gates is moving the nation in the right direction. Today's release of the Iraq Study Group's report continues to move us towards looking at potential solutions in Iraq. But this will only be possible if the President and his national security team seize the opportunity presented by this report to act in the interest of our own national security, to cast off their rose-colored glasses and begin the hard work to find a new direction in Iraq."

"I continue to review today's report, but I am encouraged by what I have seen so far. Both in tone - the report insists on candor and clarity as a starting point, and calls for bipartisan cooperation between the Congress and the Administration moving forward - and in substance, the Baker-Hamilton Commission report calls for long-overdue changes in our approach to Iraq.

"I support the report's recommendation that we establish clear benchmarks the Iraqis must meet in order to retain US support, and that we end the days of an open-ended commitment to maintain large numbers of American troops in Iraq. The report is right to call for a shift in the primary US military mission in Iraq to one of supporting and equipping Iraqi forces, accompanied by a steady reduction in the numbers of American forces on the ground. I also believe that the report's urgent call for intensive regional diplomatic engagement that includes both Syria and Iran is on the mark."

http://salazar.senate.gov/news/releases/061206iraq.htm