Pelosi Statement on One-Year Anniversary of Iraqi Constitution

Pelosi Statement on One-Year Anniversary of Iraqi Constitution

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the adoption of the Iraqi constitution. She also commented on today's Los Angeles Timesstory that reports that the Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, "intends to propose significant changes in the administration's [Iraq] strategy by early next year." The group plans to release its recommendations after the election.

"The hope that marked the adoption of the Iraqi constitution on October 15 of last year has evaporated as raging sectarian violence threatens to tear the country apart. Iraqi political leaders need to make national reconciliation an urgent priority, not just in words, but in deeds. The place to begin is by completing the constitutional amendment process promised last year, so that the system of national governance in Iraq is seen by Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds as truly inclusive.

"With the numbers of U.S. troops killed or wounded continuing to rise at an alarming rate, and even greater numbers of Iraqis being slaughtered by their countrymen, the need for a change in policy is obvious. President Bush should not wait until after the election for the Iraq Study Group to tell him what is already so clear: ‘stay the course' has failed. We need a significant change in strategy - a new direction in Iraq. Now is the time to devise and implement a policy that will protect our troops and our interests."

http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/releases.cfm?pressReleaseID=1877