Tester: Still waiting for political progress in Iraq

Senator responds to testimony from commander of coalition forces and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Senator Jon Tester released the following statement in response to today’s Senate testimony by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of coalition forces in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq:

 

“Our troops in Iraq have done an outstanding job under some of the toughest circumstances imaginable.  And I’m proud of them.  But I’m still waiting to hear why the Bush Administration and the Iraqi government haven’t made any political progress over the last year.  We’re spending $12 billion every month in Iraq while risking the readiness of our military.  It’s time to focus our military in places like Afghanistan, where the terrorists who masterminded the 9/11 attacks are still at large, and to start investing in our own country again.”