From My Congressman

My Congressman, Dave Camp, keeps his interested constituents up to date with an electronic newsletter and I just received mine from him. (please note that his links are PDF files).

On Monday, General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered a Congressionally mandated update on the War in Iraq. I urge everyone to read both of their reports and not simply rely on media reports. To read the Petraeus report click here. You should also view General Petraeus' slides that he provided to Members of Congress, some of which I have included below. To read Ambassador Crocker's report click here.

In my view, General Petraeus makes it perfectly clear that after many missteps in Iraq, the U.S. is finally making significant headway in reducing sectarian violence. From that standpoint, the new military strategy is working and has enabled us to begin bringing troops back home.

A sustainable level of security has always been critical to clearing a path for political progress. And, while security advances have come about only recently, it is equally clear that the necessary political progress in Iraq has been far too slow in coming. That point cannot be stressed enough with Iraqi leaders.

Now that General Petraeus has given us a proven path forward on the security front, and at a time when Americans and Iraqis alike needed it most, it would be irresponsible for us to walk away. Simply put, we need to give the General more time.

I urge my Iraqi counterparts to not misinterpret the support I expect General Petraeus to receive. The window for success continues to narrow and will remain open only with real progress. We are winning on the security front, now it is up to Iraq to succeed on the political front. If they fail, the consequences are dire not only for the Iraqis, but for the region and the world.

Please also note that the Iraqi government is being called to step up to bat. If we are to continue to sacrifice lives and resources for their future, then we should expect them to seriously do their part. It would be beyond shameful for the Iraqis if after the brilliant job our armed forces did, that they should lose their hardwon freedom through their own neglect.

I want to thank my Congressman for sharing this information and these charts with his constituents. There is a lot to absorb.

Dave: I am fortunate indeed to call you my Congressman. You're one of the best.