David Price: “the Republican leadership's resolution turns the Iraqi elections, a historic moment for the Iraqi people by any account…”

“the Republican leadership's resolution turns the Iraqi elections, a historic moment for the Iraqi people by any account, from a point of pride to a point of partisanship. As usual, the minority was prohibited from offering a constructive substitute. We could have offered a measure that congratulated the Iraqi people on this successful election. Or we might have put forward a substitute similar to the one that passed resoundingly in the Senate, that would have required the President at last to submit a detailed plan for phasing down the occupation. The leadership refused to let us do either, opting instead for a measure that divides and distracts. As a statement of policy, this resolution is deeply flawed. It rejects a plan for bringing our troops home. It fails to empower the Iraqis to take charge of their own future. And it blindly adopts the vague formula the President has repeatedly put forth, ``as they stand up, we stand down.'' As we have come to know very well from this ``mission accomplished'' President, catchy slogans do not make effective foreign policy. Standing up Iraqi troops is a critical step in empowering the Iraqi state, but American national security demands additional priorities: That we maximize Iraq's chance of a successful transition to self-rule while minimizing the possibility of civil war; that we stabilize the region, preventing the terrorists from taking hold; and that we protect America's men and women in uniform.…”