From Senator Boxer

To Boardwalker
Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq . I appreciate hearing from you.

On January 10, 2007, President Bush announced to the nation that he is ordering an escalation of U.S. forces into Iraq - an additional 21,500 troops.

This so-called "new way forward" in Iraq is just another tragic step in the wrong direction. Iraq is in a civil war. All of the troops in the world can't make up for the lack of a political solution to solve this deadly conflict. Putting more U.S. troops in the middle of a civil war will only result in the loss of more American lives.

Since American forces went into Iraq in March 2003, more than 3,000 of our troops have been killed and over 22,500 more have been wounded. Yet we are nowhere near a solution to the grave crisis in Iraq .

After conducting the most extensive independent assessment of the war in Iraq to date, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG) concluded that the "situation in Iraq is grave and deteriorating" and that "current U.S. policy is not working." The ISG report is helping the nation face the hard realities and hard choices in Iraq .

I agree with the ISG that the Iraqi people must take control of their own country. As such, I do not support a large influx of U.S. troops into Iraq , and I believe that we must end our open-ended commitment to keep large numbers of U.S. troops in Iraq .


Throughout the month of January, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding hearings on the war. As a member of this Committee, I am working with my colleagues to help forge a new direction in Iraq , one that does not escalate the number of U.S. forces but demands the Iraqi people reach a compromise on their own and forces Iraqi security forces to take responsibility for protecting their own people.

Above all, I hope that the Foreign Relations Committee hearings and the outrage that the American public has expressed at the idea of escalating the war will force the President to understand that the American people are rejecting his failed strategy in Iraq.

Once again, thank you for your letter and for caring deeply about this critical matter.
Barbara BoxerUnited States Senator