Shaheen argues for phased withdrawal from Iraq

GOFFSTOWN- Senatorial candidate Jeanne Shaheen (D-Madbury) laid out her national security priorities during a speech at Saint Anselm College.

Shaheen argued that American troops are in the middle of a civil war in Iraq and the United States should begin a phased withdrawal from the country.

"It's time to send a clear message to Iraq's political and military factions that we will help, but that it is their responsibility to choose their country's future," Shaheen said.

The former New Hampshire governor maintained that only a political solution would bring stability to Iraq. When she ran the U.S. Senate in 2002, she supported the use of force in Iraq.

"Absent aggressive political and diplomatic efforts, which have been lacking, the U.S. military cannot fill the vacuum," she added. "It simply freezes a difficult solution in place, at an intolerable cost to other critical American security interests and to American taxpayers."

Shaheen also said the Iraqi government should use oil revenues to pay for reconstruction efforts and launch a diplomatic effort with Iraq's neighbors.

She said the United States should refocus its attention on the threat from Al-Qaeda and improving the security situation in Afghanistan.

"The United States should be focusing resources and energy where the terrorist threat is greatest, the remote mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan," she continued. "This is precisely the region that lost our attention and focus when we pulled our troops off the trail of Bin Laden."

Shaheen also discussed plans to strengthen the military, enable the United States to become energy independent and for a policy that would "return to the values which have both protected us and that made us a symbol of hope."

In response to the speech, the New Hampshire Republican party issued a statement from Lieutenant Colonel Mike Moffett.

"To succeed in the ongoing struggle against organized terrorism, we need experienced leaders in Washington with principles and vision," Moffett said. "While Shaheen seeks to distance herself from her own earlier positions on the Iraq conflict, John Sununu is consistently working to make sure our men and women fighting the war on terror have the tools necessary for victory."