|
Washington D.C.- Congressman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee, issued the following statement today as General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker testified before the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees:
“Though I hoped that today partisanship would be put aside, unfortunately the Democrat leadership has stood with MoveOn, a leftist group who disgracefully attacked General Petraeus this morning in the New York Times. It is nonsensical for Democrats in Congress to demand that General Petraeus travel to Washington to deliver a report, only to spend a week attacking his credibility without even allowing him the opportunity to speak. If our military and our nation is to achieve success, the careless political rhetoric and dangerous accusations must stop.
“While there is no doubt that mistakes were made in Iraq, General Petraeus made clear that today there are reasons for cautious optimism. American troops have eliminated al Qaeda sanctuaries in the Baghdad Belt and forced al Qaeda to abandon their safe havens. American forces have dismantled vehicle-bomb networks, prevented terrorists and militants from reconstituting their forces in Baghdad, and prevented Shiite militias from taking over al Qaeda's former territories. Iraqi citizens are also now becoming more likely to join the fight for their country. We must credit General Petraeus and the men and women of our military for these successes and understand that a different strategy has yielded different results.
“As the situation in Iraq continues to become more secure, the Iraqi government must make strides in achieving the political reconciliation that is necessary for future stability. That said, a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq would eliminate the gains of the last several months, embolden our enemies including Iran and Syria, and send Iraq and the Middle East spiraling into a completely unstable environment, which would put the United States and our allies in a far more dangerous position.
“We all want to bring the men and women of our military home as soon as possible, and I believe the best way to achieve that goal is to build upon the positive developments detailed today.”
(####)
|
|
