Feingold Statement on the 7th Anniversary of the War in Iraq

Statement

Feingold Statement on the 7th Anniversary of the War in Iraq

"It has now been seven years since the United States launched the misguided war in Iraq. I strongly support our men and women in uniform serving in Iraq, and I am deeply grateful for their service and sacrifice. But our military involvement in Iraq has distracted us from our top national security priority, defeating al Qaeda and its affiliates. It is long past time that we transition to a counterterrorism strategy for the region and the world that is as agile and global as the enemy we confront. While I am pleased President Obama has begun to redeploy our troops, I do not think we should keep tens of thousands of service members in Iraq for another year given the risk to their lives and the high cost of doing so.

"In the wake of the Iraqi elections, it is in the interests of both of our countries that the political parties work together to form a government in a peaceful and rapid manner. The United States should remain impartial and discourage the use of national institutions, including the Iraqi Security Forces, for sectarian or political purposes. I will continue to make sure the voices of the American people are heard and work to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq as well as continue to improve the care we provide to our brave service members as we welcome them home."

Source