Sens. Salazar & Alexander Pledge To Continue To Seek Bipartisan Way Forward In Iraq

Press Release

Sens. Salazar & Alexander Pledge To Continue To Seek Bipartisan Way Forward In Iraq

Following the vote of the U.S. Senate to set aside legislation regarding the Department of Defense, Senators Ken Salazar and Lamar Alexander issued the following statement:

"We need a new strategy in Iraq. It is time to change the mission of our troops from combat to support, to begin a major diplomatic offensive in the region, and to put additional pressure on the Iraqi government to take responsibility for the future of their country.

"The most encouraging aspect of this Iraq debate is the increased interest in and growing acceptance of the Iraq Study Group recommendations. The brave men and women serving in Iraq deserve our best effort to reach common ground in defining this new way forward in Iraq. The Iraq Study Group's recommendations are a roadmap to creating a new and successful policy for the war in Iraq. The Group's recommendations remain just as viable today as they were when they were released last December.

"We are proud of the bipartisan group of 14 Senators who are supporting the effort to implement the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group. We are disappointed that our amendment was not considered by the full Senate as part of the debate on the defense bill. We hope the President will embrace these recommendations and a majority of senators will vote for them so the troops can know that we in Washington agree on their mission and give them our full support. The American people expect nothing less."

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