Washington, DC —
Senator John Thune issued the following statement today regarding President Bush's address to the nation:
"President Bush rightly admitted tonight to the American people that the situation in Iraq is unacceptable; the strategies in place are not working; and we need a change in direction in order to achieve success. The president's plan is a constructive approach that provides our troops with additional support, changes the rules of engagement and sends a clear message to the Iraqi government that America's support is conditional on their commitment to take responsibility to quell the sectarian violence. I support our Commander in Chief and his decision to move forward with a new strategy, but will continue to thoroughly examine and evaluate this plan in the Senate Armed Services Committee in the coming days and weeks. Failure in Iraq would have devastating consequences for America and the Middle East for generations to come. It has been said that doing the right thing is rarely easy or popular and winning in Iraq has proven to be neither easy nor popular, but I believe it is the right thing to do for America's security."
"President Bush rightly admitted tonight to the American people that the situation in Iraq is unacceptable; the strategies in place are not working; and we need a change in direction in order to achieve success. The president's plan is a constructive approach that provides our troops with additional support, changes the rules of engagement and sends a clear message to the Iraqi government that America's support is conditional on their commitment to take responsibility to quell the sectarian violence. I support our Commander in Chief and his decision to move forward with a new strategy, but will continue to thoroughly examine and evaluate this plan in the Senate Armed Services Committee in the coming days and weeks. Failure in Iraq would have devastating consequences for America and the Middle East for generations to come. It has been said that doing the right thing is rarely easy or popular and winning in Iraq has proven to be neither easy nor popular, but I believe it is the right thing to do for America's security."