Governor Richardson's Statement on President Bush's Plan to Escalate U.S. Froces in Iraq

Thanks again to Cara for passing this along!

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson Issues Statement on Bush Iraq Plan

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson today issued the following statement concerning President Bush’s plan – to be formally announced this evening – to escalate American troop involvement in Iraq.

"I strongly oppose any plan to increase American troop levels in Iraq. Sending more American troops will not make us safer. It will only add to the sectarian violence that is already tearing Iraq apart. I am also very concerned with this plan’s impact on our overburdened National Guard forces, which already compose half of our forces in Iraq.

The only surge we need in Iraq is a diplomatic one. We need to withdraw American troops from Iraq this year, redeploy our men and women to Afghanistan and other international terrorism hotspots, and reinvigorate our diplomacy throughout the Middle East. We need a political solution to the Iraq crisis, not a military one."