[1]

Skelton at a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

(HARRISSONVILLE, Mo.) Following the official transfer of power from Americans to the Iraqi government Wednesday, Vicky Hartzler’s campaign released a statement attacking Congressman Ike Skelton for his history regarding the troop surge.

“Today I commend and applaud our men and women in uniform for their bravery, skill, and achievement in Iraq” said Hartzler following President Obama’s Oval Office speech. “And, unlike Ike Skelton, I never doubted that our men and women could succeed and would succeed. Along with a grateful nation, I thank them and their families for their sacrifice and dedication to freedom.”

In 2007, Skelton, who is Chairman of the House Armed Services committee, voted for a resolution[2] “disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq,” a policy many suggest, now, won the war.

“The American soldier proved Congressman Skelton wrong,” said Hartzler. “And our world is better off because of it today.”

“Our brave men and women in uniform have done magnificent work in Iraq against monumental odds and often in horrendous conditions, and we should take this moment to thank them and their families for their selfless service,” said Skelton. “Our military involvement in Iraq is not over, but today we move one step closer to bringing all of our troops home.  We have kept our word to draw down our troops to 50,000 by the end of August 2010, and I hope for the best for the Iraqi people as they continue to assume responsibility for their security and their political future.”

He said, “Our military has not moved so many men and so much equipment so quickly since at least Vietnam, and I am unaware that we have ever done so as smoothly and with as few errors.”

“Any endeavor so complicated will have some problems, but so far the drawdown has been a tremendous, if overlooked, success,” he said.