WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on the president's speech on the Islamic State:
"The Islamic State is a brutal terrorist group, and it must be stopped. We have a responsibility to continue to work with local groups and our allies in the region for as long as it takes, using strategic force to stop ISIS from continuing on its murderous path. But calls for more and more direct U.S. military intervention the Middle East put us back on a very risky course. I have serious concerns about the call to war that I hear from some of my colleagues. We cannot afford to rush to war again. New Mexicans are rightly skeptical of any move that would get us involved in another Middle East conflict, and I do not support sending ground troops or entangling us in long-running religious conflicts.
"The emergence of ISIS has a direct line to America's failed strategy in Iraq. We must learn from the mistakes we have made since 9/11 - thousands of Americans gave their lives in two ground wars, which cost us billions of dollars, and left the Middle East less safe than when we arrived. I want to see the president come to Congress with a clearly defined strategy to combat the ISIS threat in Iraq and Syria with a priority on protecting our homeland. If he believes we need to use military force beyond counter-terrorism efforts against ISIS, he needs to make his case to Congress, and Congress should debate an authorization to use force."
