“It is time for a new direction for the war in Iraq and I am proud to develop these bipartisan principles to help guide our debate in the House of Representatives,” Ross said. “It is important for this administration to begin pursuing a policy based on diplomacy that will subsequently encourage international cooperation and further demand that the Iraqi people take control of their own country, and that is why I have voted three times for a responsible redeployment strategy to withdraw our troops from Iraq.

“The American people are tired of all the partisan bickering going on in Washington and it is time to start finding a common sense solution on how we can move forward in Iraq.”

Ross said the principles outlined below were delivered to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday. The text of the principles follows:

Bipartisan Compact on Iraq Debate

September 25, 2007

We agree that the U.S. Congress must end the political in-fighting over the conflict in Iraq and commit immediately to a truly bipartisan dialogue on the issues we are facing.

We agree that efforts to eliminate funding for U.S. forces engaged in combat and in harm’s way in Iraq would put at risk the safety and security of our service members.

We agree that there must be a clearly defined and measurable mission for our continued military involvement in Iraq. This mission must be further and continually defined so that the military and the country are aware of the end goal of our mission in Iraq and what progress toward that goal is being achieved.

We agree that the Government of Iraq must now be responsible for Iraq's future course. The Government must continue to make progress on the legislative benchmarks outlined in Section 1314 of the recent Supplemental Appropriations Act (PL110-28).

We agree that it is critical for members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including members of the reserve components, to have adequate rest and recuperation periods between deployments.

We agree that a safe and responsible redeployment of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq, based on recommendations from our military and foreign policy leaders, is necessary to transition the combat mission over to the Iraqi forces.

We agree that the continued military mission of U.S. combat forces must lead to a timely transition to conducting counterterrorism operations, protecting the U.S. Armed Forces, supporting and equipping Iraqi forces to take full responsibility for their own security, assisting refugees, and preventing genocide.

We agree that U.S. diplomatic efforts should continue to be improved and that the U.S. State Department must engage in robust diplomacy with Iraq’s neighbors in the Middle East to address the Iraq conflict.

Members who authored the principles include:

Rep. John S. Tanner (D-TN)                                     Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-DE)

Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR)                                           Rep. Thomas E. Petri (R-WI)

Rep. Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr. (D-AL)                 Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT)

Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR)                                       Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-MD)

Rep. Allen Boyd (D-FL)                                            Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)

Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA)                                         Rep. Phil English (R-PA)

Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX)                                      Rep. Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH)

Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS)                                      Rep. Sue Wilkins Myrick (R-NC)

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-UT)                                       Rep. Judy Biggert (R-IL)

Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS)                                         Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R-IL)

Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN)                                       Rep. Mark Steven Kirk (R-IL)

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)                     Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)

Rep. Dan Boren (D-OK)                                           Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA)

Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)                                             Rep. Charles W. Dent (R-PA)

–30 –