Burgess Attends White House Briefing on New Iraq Strategy
Burgess Attends White House Briefing on New Iraq Strategy
Today, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (TX-26) attended a White House briefing with President Bush regarding the Administration's new strategy for Iraq. Rep. Burgess and roughly a dozen other Members of Congress were invited to participate in the briefing in the Cabinet Room. President Bush will unveil his plans in an address to the nation on Wednesday evening. Following the meeting at the White House, Congressman Burgess issued the following statement:
"The new strategy in Iraq focuses on success through troop strength, new rules of engagement and a commitment to seeing this war through to the end. This is a plan based on solid intelligence and supported by experienced field commanders in Iraq, including Lieutenant General David Petraeus, the man responsible for killing Saddam Hussein's sons, and Lieutenant General Raymond T. Odierno who pulled Saddam from his spider hole.
"I acknowledge the great sacrifices made by our Armed Services and their loving families back home, and I remain grateful. For this reason, I voiced my opinion to the President, one which represents the sentiment of the majority of my constituents. We should give our troops all they need to finish this war victoriously.
"Just as this Congress should never cut funding for troops while they are in the field, we must provide funding for additional troops if that is how we win the war. If Congress is not willing to financially support the troop increase, then we should bring our soldiers home now. I, for one, want to win this war.
"We cannot be double-minded. Strategically, a secure Iraq is imperative to Middle East stability. We must remember that this remains an ideological struggle with Islamic Jihadists. We must defeat them everywhere and especially in Iraq. The insurgents we are battling in Iraq do not want peace. They are determined individuals who use terrorist tactics and guerrilla warfare to fight against the creation of a free and stable Iraq."
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