WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Tom Cole (OK-4) today released the following statement after the White House released the interim report on the progress of General Petraeus' new strategy in Iraq. Of the 18 benchmarks set forth in the recent troop funding bill, the report outlines satisfactory progress on eight benchmarks, unsatisfactory progress on eight, and on two benchmarks it is too early to judge.

"The report today gives Americans a clear picture of the progress, setbacks and ongoing challenges we face in Iraq. After less than a month of full troop strength under the "New Way Forward" in Iraq, it is not surprising that the results are mixed.

"There is still a lot of work to do, but we are seeing some early signs of progress. Sectarian murders in Baghdad are now down from what they were in January, and because U.S. and Iraqi forces are living among the people they secure, many Iraqis are now coming forward with information on where the terrorists are hiding. We are encouraged by progress at the local level, including more tribal sheiks joining the fight against al Qaeda, citizens forming neighborhood watch groups, young Sunnis signing up for the army and police, and more Shia rejecting militias. This "bottom up" progress is a key leading indicator of positive trends, which our strategy is designed to encourage and accelerate in the coming months. Although there is much positive success to celebrate, we must continue to see more progress from the Iraqi people and their government on key political benchmarks where progress has not been made."

"The Majority party wants to mandate a precipitous, reckless troop withdrawal starting within 120 days, to be complete by April 1, 2008. We have been down this road before with the same group of Washington politicians. Scheduled withdrawal will endanger our troops already on the ground and broadcast to our enemies a key piece of tactical and strategic intelligence: date, pace and time of our departure. The American people believe our military commanders, not Washington politicians, should be making the decisions on the battlefield and so do I. General Petraeus and the troops on the ground deserve our full support, and I look forward to hearing his report in September."

###