Sam Brownback: “I want to talk about the Iraq situation. A number of Senators have spoken about that this morning. They are looking at…”

“I want to talk about the Iraq situation. A number of Senators have spoken about that this morning. They are looking at the progress that is taking place with the surge. I had great question about the surge at the outset. I questioned whether this was the right route to go. Yet I have to say my concerns were proven wrong. Look at the numbers: U.S. deaths are down more than 50 percent since June. Iraqi deaths are down more than 50 percent since August. Sectarian violence is down dramatically. Areas of Baghdad are opening. October saw the fewest roadside bomb instances since September of 2005. Mortar rocket attacks are at their lowest level since February 2006. Nobody would say it is over, we have won, but they would say these are very positive events that have taken place. The area we have to emphasize now is the political solution to capture the moment of getting more stability on the ground in Iraq. For some time Senator Biden and I have pushed a federalism approach that this body endorsed by 70 votes. Now is the time for us to push much more aggressively on this political solution.”