(Washington D.C.)- U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Royal Oak) made the following floor statement in support of the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act:

Mr. Speaker, the issue before the House today is straightforward.  Do we think the President's Iraq policy is working so well that we should give him another $200 billion to continue it, or do we need a fundamental change in direction?

I truly believe we need to change an Iraq policy that is simply not working.  From the beginning, the Bush administration has been wrong about the war in Iraq.  If you set aside the administration's rhetoric, the reality is that the surge has not worked.  The goal of the surge was to give the Iraqi Government breathing space to make the political decisions necessary to reduce the violence that is tearing Iraq apart.  But 11 months into the troop surge, progress on political reconciliation continues to be all but nonexistent.  Meanwhile, 2007 has already been the deadliest year for American troops since the start of the war in Iraq.

There is a clear choice before us.  If you are satisfied with how the Bush administration has been conducting the war for the last 4 1/2 years, you should oppose this bill.  If, on the other hand, you believe the administration’s strategy isn't working and want to require the President to change course, you should vote for this legislation.

Whatever small chance there is of the Iraqi factions coming together, it will not happen as long as the U.S. military commitment in Iraq remains open-ended.  We need to change course.

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