July 12, 2007— Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) issued the following statement in response to both the interim report released by the White House today on the progress of General Petraeus’s new strategy in Iraq, as well as the Iraq withdrawal bill being voted on in the House of Representatives today.

“There is still a lot of progress to be made in Iraq, but the free world should be heartened by the progress we have seen, especially considering that full troop strength was only reached about 3 weeks ago.  In Baghdad, sectarian murders are down, and there is growing courage among local citizens and tribal sheiks who are increasingly willing to join the fight against al Qaeda, reject militias, form neighborhood watch groups, and enlist in the army and local police."

Franks continued, “It is understandable that Americans are tired of war. We are a nation that loves peace, which is why we fight only when our hand is forced. But the fact is, we are at war and we must continue providing our troops with every single tool necessary to ensure their safety and victory for the cause of freedom.  Today’s Iraq withdrawal bill only encourages the belief in our enemies that America does not have the political will to prevail.  It stabs our own troops in the back in a game of partisan politics and undermines the authority we gave General Petraeus as commander of the war. 

“It is absolutely crucial for the peace of the freedom-loving world that we defeat radical jihad on the battlefield in Iraq, and it will take patience and perseverance on the part of Congress, our warfighters, and the American people.”

As required by the Iraq supplemental bill, the interim report is intended to measure progress in Iraq with regard to the 18 benchmarks set by Congress.  Of the 18 benchmarks outlined in the recent troop funding bill, the report outlines satisfactory progress on eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory progress on eight, and on two benchmarks it is too early to judge.  The report is not intended to measure whether or not these benchmarks have been fully completed, but whether progress toward them has been satisfactory.

According to a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted July 6-8, 55 percent of Americans support the idea that Congress should not develop a new policy on Iraq until September when General Petraeus reports on the progress of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq.