Nelson Reaction to Presidential Address on Iraq

NELSON REACTION TO PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS ON IRAQ

Nebraska's Senator Ben Nelson issued the following statement in response to tonight's presidential address on Iraq:

"Tonight's address was a solid reminder of what are the challenges our soldiers face and the accomplishments we have achieved so far in the effort to establish a free and safe Iraq.

"I agree; we don't want our troops to stay one day longer than they have to stay. But tonight we didn't hear, unfortunately, what the milestones are, what the objectives are, that the Iraqis need to meet before we can start bringing our troops home. And that's what we need to focus on.

"We all support our troops and we all want to see them succeed in Iraq. Hopefully, notwithstanding the debate that rages here at home, our troops will know that Americans on both sides of our policies in Iraq support their efforts in Iraq.

"This is not a lost cause, it is a tough road and one that we cannot abandon until Iraq has a constitution, has a military, can stand on its own and can defend itself."

http://bennelson.senate.gov/news/details.cfm?id=239727&&