Issue Position: Defense - Iraq

Issue Position

Iraq:

In Iraq, I believe that United States troops and Allied forces have made significant progress in a number of vitally important areas. Idaho is proud of our National Guard men and women heading to Iraq and we support the important work they will be doing there in service to our great country. After visiting Iraq in 2004 and 2008, I remain convinced that our nation and military must finish the work we started there, but I believe it is time for the Iraqi government to take control and lead the fight for its country's freedom. It is imperative that we provide our troops with the resources and equipment they need and deserve while continuing to provide them with the flexibility they require to react to events on the ground, avoiding arbitrary timelines and limitations that would tie the hands of our generals and our troops on the ground.

At the same time, as we move forward in the War on Terrorism, Congress must dutifully serve its oversight role. I remain ever mindful of the need to protect our Constitution and the freedoms that it guarantees. We must not allow any event, tragic and horrible as it may be, to erode the very freedoms that generations of Americans have given their lives to protect.

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