Good morning, I’m Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island.
I have just returned from visiting with our troops and commanders in Afghanistan and Iraq. I had the opportunity to travel with a bipartisan delegation that included Senator Barack Obama and Republican Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. The heroism and dedication of our men and women in uniform inspires us all.
As someone who had the privilege of commanding paratroopers, I know the tremendous sacrifices that our troops are making. Some of the soldiers and Marines we met in the field are on their third and fourth tours of duty. And they deserve a policy that is worthy of their sacrifice.
Democrats have outlined a better strategy to carefully redeploy our forces out of Iraq … And give them missions of counter-terrorism; training Iraq’s military; and protecting our forces.
Make no mistake: This is a plan that seizes on the progress and sacrifices our troops have made in Iraq, and it recognizes the desire of the Iraqi people to take control of their own destiny.
During our trip, Iraqi leaders made it clear that they share these goals. Prime Minister Maliki told us that while the Iraqi people deeply appreciate the sacrifices of American forces, they do not want an open-ended presence of U.S. combat forces. We, in turn, had a very clear message for the Prime Minister: the Iraqi government needs to do more.
At a time when the war in Iraq costs $10 billion each month, Americans are paying $4 a gallon for gasoline, and our economy is struggling, we cannot continue down the path that President Bush and Senator McCain propose, writing blank check after blank check.
The United States has spent hundreds of billions of Americans’ tax payer dollars in Iraq.
More than 4,100 of our brave young men and women have been killed and 30,000 have been wounded. Their heroic efforts have bought the Iraqi government additional time, but so far that precious time has not translated into a sufficient political reconciliation that brings a lasting peace.
Unless the Iraqi government can make tough political compromises and deliver basic services to its citizens, then the gains our troops fought so hard to win could be easily reversed.
Our proposal to responsibly redeploy American troops out of Iraq will send a message to the Iraqi government that it must do more. And it will encourage more progress towards Iraqi self-sufficiency.
This new mission in Iraq is the right policy for the future. It is not an end to our support for the Iraqi people, but it is a transition that allows us to focus on the terrorist threats that have grown elsewhere, like Afghanistan.
During our trip, Senators Obama, Hagel, and I met with our commanders on the ground in Afghanistan, where the Taliban has regrouped and Al Qaeda has found safe haven.
The translation of “Al Qaeda” in English means “the base.”… And Al Qaeda is currently using the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan as a base for launching attacks on U.S. and NATO troops and the Afghan people.
Our intelligence officials report that the resurgence of Al Qaeda terrorists in this region now poses the most severe threat to our national security.
Yet alarmingly, and by its own admission, the Bush Administration does not have a coherent plan to destroy this threat and deny these terrorists safe havens.
In our meetings with President Karzai, we stressed our strong commitment to rooting out the terrorists and helping Afghanistan with its security and economic development. We urged him to work on a “more-for-more” basis: more resources from the United States and NATO, but also more action from the Afghan government to improve the lives of its people.
I was proud to join with Senators Obama and Hagel in thanking our troops in the field. These young men and women are serving with extraordinary courage, talent and distinction.
They get up each morning and cross the line of departure, risking their lives, and doing everything in their power to seize the objective.
With that indomitable spirit—and with a leader like Senator Obama who can restore hope and leadership and deliver real change—we will meet the challenges of our time.
Thank you.
MP3 available at link:http://www.democrats.org/a/2008/07/senator_jack_re_1.php
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