Marty Walsh: “I rise today to reiterate that now is not the time to bring our troops home from Iraq. Our soldiers have done a valiant…”

“I rise today to reiterate that now is not the time to bring our troops home from Iraq. Our soldiers have done a valiant effort in fighting terrorism and bringing a semblance of law and order to the chaos in the region and it would be shortsighted to lay out a specific timetable to bring U.S. troops home prematurely before their mission is accomplished. Over the last 12 months, enormous progress has been made in training Iraqi security forces and already we are seeing the fruits of our labors. Iraqi forces took the lead in election security and maintaining order during the December elections. In Southern Iraq control of the countryside is already in the process of being transferred from Japanese and Australian peacekeepers to Iraqi security forces. Slowly but surely this approach of having Iraqi forces take the lead in patrolling the streets of their cities while the U.S. military moves their troops to the perimeter is taking hold. As Iraqi forces continue to stand up, American forces will stand down. Congress needs to ensure that by our actions we don't send a message to our Iraqi allies that the United States is lessening its resolve and going back on our commitment to achieve our strategy for victory in Iraq and defeat the terrorist insurgents who are threatening this victory.…”