Congressman Cleaver's Statement on President Obama's Address

“I appreciate the thoughtful and comprehensive approach the President has outlined to establish clear benchmarks for successfully concluding our involvement in Afghanistan. I want our troops to be brought home safely to their families in a sane and swift way. Our attention should never have been diverted from rooting out Al Qaeda and its successor in terror, the Taliban. We have lost valuable time and sadly more precious lives because we have been distracted in the sands of Iraq. The plan the President explained to the American people represents best thinking on how to leave Afghanistan a stable and secure nation whose people will see Americans as a friends. I am always skeptical of putting more of our young men and women in harms way, but the President trusts his generals in the field, and I stand with them as well. The President has made very clear that it is time for the leaders of Afghanistan to reflect the resolve exhibited by our troops."

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Belton, Raymore and Peculiar, Missouri. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, House Homeland Security Committee and the Speaker’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. Congressman Cleaver also serves as a Regional Whip of the Democratic Caucus and First Vice-Chair-elect of the Congressional Black Caucus.