Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) issued a statement on the first anniversary of the handover of power in Iraq to the Iraqi people. President Bush will speak this evening regarding Iraq.

Larsen attended a House Armed Services Committee hearing on June 23 in which the Defense Secretary and military officials testified regarding progress in Iraq.

“In the 2nd Congressional District and across the country, Americans are growing increasingly frustrated with the war in Iraq.

“Some are calling for a complete and immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. Others are offering their blind allegiance to the President and his handling of the war.  They are more overlook than oversight.

“Somewhere in between those two extremes there is space for responsible and reasonable oversight in Iraq.

“We need to define milestones for success, not timelines for withdrawal in Iraq. Then we must hold the President accountable for those milestones.

“The public has expressed clear concern for the direction we are heading in Iraq. Defining and enforcing milestones for success will address the American people’s concerns while moving us forward both in dialogue and action.

“Those milestones should include putting more Iraqi Security Forces on the beat, improving reconstruction efforts, and getting a Iraqi constitution and representative government in place. 

“I will continue working through the House Armed Services Committee and Congress to ensure that we move forward in Iraq and that we hold the President accountable as we do so.”