U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce (Photo by Heath Haussamen)
The only Republican member of New Mexico’s congressional delegation says President Barack Obama’s decision to begin bringing U.S. soldiers home from Afghanistan is a political move that won’t help.
“The president’s action is a political one that will not benefit our troops in the field or Americans at home,” U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce said. “Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen said the president’s plans are riskier and more aggressive than he originally preferred, and both Defense Secretary Gates and General Petraeus have favored a slow drawdown, keeping our forces as strong as possible to secure our progress.”
“Every American wants to see our military men and women return home to their families as soon as possible,” Pearce said. “But the management of a war is something best left to the generals, not politicians.”
Pearce said if Obama truly believed that it’s time to “focus on nation building here at home,” then he would end U.S. involvement in Libya, “where he continues to wage an unconstitutional war.”