Pelosi and Reid Renew Call for President to Work With Congress on Changing Course in Iraq

    WASHINGTON, April 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi
 and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today issued the following statement,
 renewing their call for the President to work with Congress to ensure our
 troops receive the support they need, including a strategy for success:
     "The American people want the President and the Congress to work
 together to bring a responsible end to the war in Iraq. Congressional
 Democrats are willing to meet with the President at any time, but we
 believe that any discussion of an issue as critical as Iraq must be
 accomplished by conducting serious negotiations without any preconditions.
 Our goal should be to produce an Iraq supplemental bill that both fully
 funds our troops and gives them a strategy for success.
     "With his threat to veto such a plan for change in Iraq, President Bush
 is ignoring the clear message of the American people: We must protect our
 troops, hold the Iraqi government accountable, rebuild our military,
 provide for our veterans and bring our troops home.
     "The President is demanding that we renew his blank check for a war
 without end. Despite the fact that the President persists in trying to
 score political points at the expense of our troops, congressional
 Democrats have repeatedly reached out in the spirit of cooperation. We
 renew our request to work with him to produce a bipartisan bill that
 provides our troops and our veterans with every penny they need, but in
 turn, demands accountability."
 
 

SOURCE Office of the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi