Jack Reed: “Today we face an opportunity to change the course and the direction of our policy in Iraq. The other body, the House of…”

“Today we face an opportunity to change the course and the direction of our policy in Iraq. The other body, the House of Representatives, has sent a provision--a bridge appropriations supplemental--to us, which includes language that would change this policy. It would change our missions, it would establish a goal to complete the transition to this new mission by the end of next year, and it would invest resources, energy, and effort in diplomacy as well as military activity. I think it is critical to do that. We have, for the last several months, seen an increase in American forces on the ground, and the sheer presence and effectiveness of American forces has created some tactical momentum in terms of the security situation. But the fundamental challenge remains to get the policy right in Iraq, and that is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq. In January of this year, 2007, the President announced his surge and he said: I have made it clear to the prime minister and Iraq's other leaders that America's commitment is not open-ended. If the Iraqi government does not follow through on its promises, it will lose the support of the American people and it will lose the support of the Iraqi people. Well, those individuals in this body who oppose the House provision, the changed missions, are essentially declaring that there is an open-ended commitment; that we will not condition our resources and our effort in Iraq. I think that is wrong.”