Iraq
Changing Course in Iraq to Focus on Terrorist Threats
Senator Reed voted against giving President Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq because it was an ill-planned diversion from the war on terrorism. However, once our combat forces were committed, Reed, a graduate of West Point and former Captain in the U.S. Army, consistently urged the President to better manage the war and provide our troops with the resources they need to get the job done.
As a member of the Armed Services Committee, he has visited Iraq eleven times to meet with our soldiers, including Rhode Islanders serving overseas, and commanders on the ground.
"Jack travels to Iraq, he has friends in Iraq, and because of his many connections, Jack sees things in Iraq that a lot of us don't get to see," said Senator John McCain of Arizona.
During a July 2003 visit to U.S. troops in Iraq, Reed heard directly from members of the Rhode Island National Guard that the soldiers needed more body armor and armored vehicles. Reed successfully pushed for increased production of the equipment needed to protect U.S. troops from roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Reed was also among the first to call on the Bush Administration to put more muscle into diplomatic and reconstruction efforts and be more candid with the American people about the cost of the war.
In 2005 the Providence Journal noted: "One of the things Reed saw and talked about earlier than most of his colleagues is that the war has become a classic insurgency and, as such, is impossible to win by military means alone. The U.S. enterprise rests on a tripod, Reed says, with economic rebuilding and political stability just as necessary as military success."
Instead of deficit spending, Reed urged the Bush Administration to include Iraq war costs in the annual budget, noting: "If any corporate executive were telling his board that there's a huge contingency out there but it is just so unpredictable we are not even going to mention it, he'd be in jail."
Along with Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, Senator Reed is the co-author of a plan to refocus the mission and begin the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. This proposal would protect American interests and give the Commander-in-Chief flexibility to bring our troops home in a safe, speedy, and successful manner.
Recent News:
Statement of Senators Obama, Reed, and Hagel on Trip to Iraq
Senators, National Security Experts Discuss Upcoming Iraq Hearings
TRIP REPORT: Senator Reed's Iraq Trip Report, January 2008
Floor Statement on the Levin-Reed Amendment
SPEECH: Senator Jack Reed Responds to President Bush's Address on Iraq
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