Cord Byrd: “The administration needs to change its course in Iraq. If the United States is ever to work successfully with the…”

“The administration needs to change its course in Iraq. If the United States is ever to work successfully with the international community to obtain the contributions of troops and money that are needed to share the heavy burden of postwar Iraq, the White House must take real steps to share power with the United Nations. The Byrd-Kennedy-Leahy amendment would push the administration to do more to share power in Iraq. It would also require the President to submit reports to Congress about the participation of other countries in Iraq, as well as a plan for supporting American troops by bringing them home. The amendment gives the President $10.1 billion in reconstruction funds immediately but requires another vote by Congress before the other $10.2 billion in reconstruction funds can be spent. It is imperative that Congress review the situation in 6 months to determine whether the President's efforts at the U.N. have paid off in more foreign contributions to the future of Iraq.”