Responding to our question, here’s a statement from the incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on President Bush’s idea of increasing the troop level in Iraq:
There are no easy answers in Iraq, but there are wrong ones. I do not support increasing troop levels in Iraq to further the President’s current failed course. Americans have called for a New Direction, but the President’s press conference this morning showed that he has still not faced reality about Iraq and gave no indication that he is willing to make the changes needed to reverse this disastrous situation. There needs to be fundamental change in our Iraq policy and in the mission of our troop in order for events in Iraq to improve. Our troops should not be expected to be primarily responsible for dealing with sectarian violence associated with a civil war. As long as that remains their task, the situation in Iraq will remain grave.