Barbara Lee Statement on Dismissal of Gen. McChrystal
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2010
Contact: Nicole Y. Williams
202-225-2661
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) released this statement following President Obama announcement that he accepted Gen. Stanley McChrystal's resignation after controversial remarks in Rolling Stone magazine and would be replacing him with Gen. David Petraeus.
“I agree with President Obama’s decision to relieve Gen. McChrystal of his command in Afghanistan. The President is correct – this war is bigger than any one person. Our focus should be on our strategy to bring an end to this war.
“Open ended war in Afghanistan is not in our national security interest and continues to create enemies. We must fundamentally rethink our policy on Afghanistan and reorient our efforts to combat terrorism around the globe in a more effective and sustainable manner.
“We need to stop digging the hole and risking the lives of our brave young men and women. We need a clear exit strategy and a timeline to safely redeploy our troops from Afghanistan.”
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