"As I watched to General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker present their assessment of the progress in Iraq, I was reassured not only that the surge is working, but that we will succeed as long as we give our troops a realistic opportunity to meet their goals.

“On my visit to Iraq this August, I was able to meet with a number of our service men and women. Their attitude was confident and positive. When I asked them what message I should give the people back home, they said, ‘We can win this if you let us.’ I believe General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker testimony today confirms this – victory will come as long as congressional micromanagement does not stand in the way of our troops.

“This is an opportunity for us at home to show trust in our forces. The troops are the ones in the field fighting for our freedom and security each day. We cannot let our troops down by losing this war in Washington as politicians and political groups bicker for partisan gain. Today we saw a political organization attack the integrity of General Petraeus out of fear that his report would fail to validate their defeatist platform. Only in America do we have the freedom to criticize our leaders this way, and it is this freedom that we are fighting for in Iraq.

“No matter how you slice it, it cannot be denied that progress is being made. Since January, sectarian violence and civilian casualties have sharply decreased, the stream of recruits for al Qaeda is drying up, and we are beginning to see the seeds of political progress grow in local communities. It is time for Congress to look beyond a political agenda and come together in a bipartisan fashion to recognize the progress we are seeing in Iraq.” – Rep. Doug Lamborn (CO – 5)

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