Lawless Challenges Langevin on Support for Bush Strategy in Iraq

WARWICK, RI – Jennifer Lawless, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island’s second congressional district, today expressed concern both about President Bush’s newly announced strategy for Iraq and about her opponent’s apparent support for it.

“The American people deserve more than the same old rhetoric,” Lawless said. “The President repeated today what he’s been saying for months and we are just not buying it. It’s great that President Bush and Jim Langevin have some goals in mind, but the American people deserve to know when progress will be made and when we can start bringing our troops home.”

While he has stated that something is missing from U.S. strategy in Iraq, Representative Langevin has yet to identify a specific plan, timetable, or strategy for success. Today, Representative Langevin offered tepid concern over the President’s announcement. In response, Lawless said, “At a time when Rhode Islanders are looking to their leaders for answers about the war in Iraq, I’m concerned that Representative Langevin is advocating for the President’s position of staying the course indefinitely.”

Lawless supports a plan that would allow the drawing down of troops by the end of 2006. Though she did not support the initial decision to go to war over two years ago, she strongly supports American troops stationed in Iraq and believes they must be provided with the equipment and infrastructure they need. Lawless believes that any appropriate strategy for success in Iraq must be accompanied by a detailed timetable for progress. “We must outline a set of goals that will strengthen Iraq and allow us to start bringing our troops home by the end of next year,” Lawless said.

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