Obama Statement on Senate Vote Blocking Troop Redeployment
Thursday, March 15, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben LaBolt
WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Barack Obama today supported a resolution that would redeploy American combat troops from Iraq by a target date of March 31, 2008, the same date in the Iraq De-escalation Act that he introduced in January. Obama supported other measures that ensure our troops in Iraq are protected as redeployment proceeds.
“I am disappointed that today Senate Republicans blocked a redeployment plan, similar to the Iraq De-escalation Act I introduced, that would set a target date of March 31, 2008 to remove our combat troops from Iraq. Both the de-escalation plan I introduced, and Senator Reid’s resolution, would protect our troops as they are redeployed from Iraq and allow the process of political reconciliation to proceed. I am pleased, however, that Congress overwhelmingly affirmed its power of the purse as a means to pressure the Bush administration to begin redeploying our troops without endangering those that remain in the field.”