Dan Benishek Responds to President Obama's Speech on Iraq

Press Release

Dr. Dan Benishek, the Republican nominee for Congress in Michigan's 1st District, joined millions of Americans around the country by watching President Obama's speech on Iraq tonight.

"It is encouraging to see that progress has been made in Iraq," Dr. Benishek stated. "However, the fact that roughly 50,000 U.S. troops will remain in the country is evidence that our work there is not complete. Our young servicemen and women continue to put themselves in harm's way for the cause of freedom. As the father of a veteran of the Iraqi and Afghan wars, I know that we must continue to provide adequate resources to our soldiers who are still serving overseas and to our veterans who have returned home. I hope that President Obama's call to "turn the page' does not leave our troops without this necessary support."

Dr. Benishek also noted the limited role that politicians should play in how armed conflicts are conducted. "It is essential that our nation's political leaders defer to the sound judgment of our commanders on the ground when determining military strategy. This important milestone in Iraq would not have been possible if President Obama had his way by blocking the troop surge," Dr. Benishek pointed out.

In October 2006, then-Sen. Obama stated in an interview on NBC's Meet the Press that "it is clear at this point that we cannot, through putting in more troops or maintaining the presence that we have, expect that somehow the situation is going to improve." "Thankfully," Dr. Benishek concluded, "President Obama was wrong."

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