FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Isakson on Iraq: We Need to Define Victory, Not Declare Defeat
‘We Should Give Ourselves a Chance to Declare Victory’

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) today today spoke on the Senate floor in support of U.S. efforts in Iraq and the War on Terror, highlighting the supportive response he has received from constituents in Georgia on Iraq and stressing that it is critical for Congress to believe that victory is possible.

Isakson traveled the state of Georgia during the August recess and heard from many Georgians that they remain supportive of the troops and the mission in Iraq.

“It is time for us to start thinking about defining what victory is rather than declaring as some have done that we have lost,” Isakson said on the Senate floor. “In the weeks ahead, I’m going to do what I can to give us a chance to finish the job, win the victory the president outlined at the outset five years ago of our entering into Iraq, and honor and pay tribute to the sacrifice of the 3,700 or more Americans who have given their life in the effort.”

Isakson said the United States is on its way to achieving the final of the three goals outlined by President Bush when the United States first authorized the engagement in Iraq. The first goal was to depose Saddam Hussein and find, if they existed, weapons of mass destruction. The second goal was to allow the Iraqi people to hold free elections and establish a government of their choosing. The third goal was to adequately train the Iraqi military so it could successfully defend and protect the new government.

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. Isakson believes Congress must give the recent increases in troops a chance to work before advocating a change in strategy in Iraq.  

Among the constituents Isakson met with during August were Lucy and Rick Harris of Ellijay, Ga. The Harris’s son, 1st Lt. Noah Harris, was killed in Iraq in June 2005. Their advice to Isakson was to adhere to Noah’s motto, “I do what I can.”

“Noah went to Iraq to do what he could for peace and to end terror. I'm going to do what I can. I'm going to take Lucy Harris and Rick Harris’s advice,” Isakson said. “I'm going to honor the life of Noah by listening closely to the report, by recognizing why we went in the first place and seeing to it why we should give ourselves a chance to declare victory so richly fought for by the brave men and women of the United States military.”

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