Perlmutter Statement on President’s Afghanistan Strategy Speech

December 1, 2009

Tonight, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter released the following statement in reaction to the President’s speech outlining his strategy.

“I thank the President for laying out his ideas on increasing troop levels in Afghanistan . I know his decision was made after much deliberation and input from experts on all sides of this situation.

This action marks a momentous time for our country as we work to rebuild our own economy, put Americans back to work, and provide quality, affordable healthcare to millions of uninsured.

Since the tragedies of 9-11, I always thought the real global War on Terror was against the Taliban and Al Qaeda in the region. I believe we took our eye off the ball in and never finished the job in Afghanistan .

I am concerned about our military staying too long in Afghanistan . However, I believe we need to work with a strong multinational coalition to do what we can to help the Afghani people secure the region and begin to rebuild a stable democracy. We need to define benchmarks for success, gather more international support and place more responsibility on the Afghan government to deny Al Qaeda a safe haven.

I want to continue meeting with experts on these issues and will travel to in the coming months to see for myself the conditions in the region.

Tonight, the President presented a thoughtful and responsible plan for how we can work towards a more stable region and defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda. It’s our prosperity and strength at home that will continue to help us lead the world in global security and stability.

I will work with my colleagues in Congress to ensure our troops have the resources they need to do the important job we are asking them to do.”