Dreier Statement on Iraq Resolution

February 13, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman David Dreier (R-San Dimas, CA), House Rules Committee Ranking Republican, issued the following statement regarding H. Con. Res. 63, a resolution disapproving the President’s plan in Iraq:

“With the advice and close consultation of our generals in the field, the President has called for a surge in troop levels, which was one of the specific recommendations of the Iraq Study Group report.

“The war in Iraq, like all wars, has been long and it has been difficult. It has come at a high price and it has taken its toll on the American people. But we go to war with a mission. And we dishonor the lives of those who make the ultimate sacrifice if we abandon that mission.

“This resolution offers no hope to the troops. And it offers no hope to the people of this country who want to see the conflict in Iraq resolved so that our troops can come home to their families. They deserve better than a non‑binding resolution that denies the troops the numbers they need to succeed.

“Yesterday I spoke with Ed Blecksmith whose son J.P. was tragically killed in the battle of Fallujah. He implored me not to support a policy of defeat. He said that his son’s death will have been in vain if we do not complete our mission.”