Americans Want A New Direction On Iraq

Washington, DC - Today, President Bush is meeting with State Department officials and historians on Iraq in what has been described as a “listening tour.” [New York Sun, 12/11/06] At the same time, the American people are growing frustrated with the Bush Administration’s failed Iraq policies and are desperate for a change and a new direction. According to the latest Newsweek poll, sixty-eight percent of Americans believe that the United States is losing ground in Iraq, the highest rating ever in the poll. [Newsweek, 12/9/06]

“It's a good first step for President Bush to finally begin listening to outside opinions on Iraq, but it is ultimately more important that he offer the American people a new direction,” said Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Stacie Paxton. “As the bipartisan Iraqi Study Group’s report determined, the situation in Iraq is ‘grave and deteriorating.’ The President needs to offer a real strategy for victory that acknowledges the facts on the ground in Iraq before it is too late. Democrats remain committed to a new direction.”