FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Isakson on Iraq: Give Recent Increases in Troops a Chance to Work
Pushing for Retreat Now Is ‘Wrong for America’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today spoke on the Senate floor in support of U.S. efforts in Iraq and the War on Terror, stressing that it is critical for Congress to give the recent increases in troops a chance to work before advocating a change in strategy in Iraq.

President Bush recently sent nearly 30,000 additional troops to Iraq as part of a strategy to help the Iraqi government assume more control and more accountability for securing the country. General David Petraeus, who leads the Multinational Forces-Iraq Command, is expected to deliver a progress report to Congress on the president’s new strategy in mid-September.  

“To declare a retreat today on a time precipitous schedule is wrong for America,” Isakson said on the Senate floor. “It's wrong for our effort in the war on terror, and it strikes a dagger in the heart of our newfound policy of preemption.”

The Senate is currently debating the fiscal year 2008 defense authorization bill, which authorizes funds for our nation’s military forces. Specific timelines for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq are expected to be a key part of that debate.

 “It is important for us to continue to pursue the goals of the surge, and have a debate not in advance of the facts but after we know the facts as they stand,” Isakson said. “We may in fact have to change our strategy, but we owe it to ourselves to do it when our generals report back in September on our own timetable and not as a retreat.”

Isakson believes withdrawing troops before Iraq is fully secure or revealing timelines for the withdrawal of troops would send a message of hope to the terrorists and insurgents that America has lost its will. Isakson noted that during more than 20 hours of Foreign Relations hearings on Iraq, every witness – even those who opposed the President’s strategy – testified that withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would result in thousands of lives lost and an increase in the sectarian violence across the region.

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