Today, Rep. Ed Perlmutter returned from a trip to Jordan, Iraq and Kuwait. The Congressman left the on Thursday afternoon and returned to the country today. He traveled with a Congressional Delegation including Reps. Earl Pomeroy, D-ND; Brian Baird, D-WA; Ron Kind, D-WI; and Chris Shays, R-CT.
While there, the Congressman visited with Sunni Sheiks, Colorado State Rep. Joe Rice, Colorado State Sen. Steve Ward, and other members of the military from Colorado .
Immediately upon returning, Rep. Perlmutter held a telephone conference call with reporters to share some of his thoughts from the trip. Below are some of his comments:
“I believe the pressure Congress has put on the President to end the war is causing the Iraqi leaders to say it’s time to get down to business and take control of their own country.
“The Iraqis control their own destiny. It is time to transition power to the Iraqi army, begin multi-national reconstruction and political reconciliation, and redeploy our troops home as soon as practicable.
“Transition of power to the Iraqi Police is still a point of concern, and the Iraqi Army still must grow and learn.
“I will continue to work to redeploy our National Guard and Reservists home to focus them on their local mission, rather than fighting in the war zone.
“This was probably the most interesting trip of my life.”
Photos and more thoughts will be posted to the Congressman’s website at www.perlmutter.house.gov in the coming days. Please check back frequently.
