For Immediate Release:

Thursday, December 15, 2005

“Today’s parliamentary elections in Iraq are an important step forward for the Iraqi people. We applaud their bravery and the hard work and sacrifice of our troops as we all move towards the collective goal of a free and self-sustaining nation.

All of us want to see Iraq succeed. While today’s elections symbolize progress, there is still much work to be done.

I have been to Iraq and met with our troops. They are doing a great job on behalf of our grateful nation. But it is time to give them a plan for when their mission will be completed.

The President gave several speeches leading up to today’s elections, but he has not yet provided the American people with an honest assessment of the costs of the war, time frame of our presence or the benchmarks for success in Iraq.

As we applaud the Iraqi people for this step towards democracy, it is our democratic duty to continue to ask questions and demand answers about our future presence in Iraq.”