Durbin Statement Following President Bush's Speech on Iraq

DURBIN STATEMENT FOLLOWING PRESIDENT BUSH'S SPEECH ON IRAQ

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) issued the following statement after President Bush delivered an address to the nation on Iraq:

"No matter where you go in this country, one thing is clear: Americans support our troops. But the war in Iraq still weighs heavily on our people."

"Setting a timetable for withdrawal is not prudent at this time, but I cannot accept the Administration's failure to establish a clear plan to end the conflict and return our troops home."

"President Bush has taken America to war without enough troops to secure Iraq or a comprehensive plan to win the peace. Vice President Cheney's recent declaration that the insurgency was in its last throes has not been confirmed by a single military leader and is challenged every day with new reports of lives lost."

"America has invested too much and lost too many soldiers to turn its back on the people of Iraq. We cannot cut and run and leave chaos in our wake, but we cannot achieve our goal of a safe and stable Iraq until the President puts forward a comprehensive plan for success and a clear strategy for how we will achieve it. That is the President's responsibility to every American soldier. And it is Congress' responsibility to insist that he do so."

http://durbin.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=239799&&