January 9, 2008

Nelson, National Security Expert Discuss How One Year Later, President Bush's Surge Has Not Achieved Its Goals

Washington, DC—Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson and Rand Beers, President of the National Security Network, held a press conference call Wednesday to discuss how the surge in Iraq has not achieved its goals one year after President Bush announced the strategy.  The surge’s primary objective of political reconciliation remains unmet, the Iraqi government has done little to achieve stability and 2007 was the most lethal year yet for American troops.

“One year later, Iraq is still mired in political dysfunction with the goals outlined by the President and the benchmarks outlined by Congress still not achieved,” Nelson said.  “We need to transition the mission of our troops to focus on our national security objectives – fighting terrorists, maintaining Iraq’s border integrity, and training Iraqi soldiers.”

Said Beers: “According to the President’s own measure, his surge strategy is a failure and the political situation appears to be getting worse.  Our troops have done their jobs, now it’s time for President Bush and the Iraqi Government to do theirs.  One year after the surge was announced, the Bush Administration appears to have no strategy and no end in sight.”     

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