Senator John Ensign released the following statement as Democrats in the Senate scheduled a vote on a bill that cuts funding for Iraq, withdraws our troops in 120 days and has already been rejected by the Senate four times:

“I recently traveled to Iraq and was briefed by General Petraeus, other commanders on the ground and Iraqi security officials.  Petraeus and his troops are doing a remarkable job in bringing security to Iraq.  Setting a surrender date would send the wrong message to our men and women in uniform and the Iraqi people at a time when al Qaeda in Iraq is on the run.

“During a visit to Hawr Rajab, a town just south of Baghdad, I walked through a local market and spoke to dozens of residents, including children, through a translator.  One of their biggest fears is that America will surrender and leave prematurely.  They fear for their lives, their children and the future of their country if we surrender.

“Now is the time to leave our partisan labels behind, give our troops the funding and resources they need to finish their job and remember we are all Americans first.  Surrendering is defeat, and defeat is not good for the security of America.”