Serrano Opposes Afghan Troop increase

I am with the President on many issues, but on Afghanistan, we don’t see eye-to-eye," said Serrano. "I appreciate the difficulty of this decision for him, and also applaud the thoughtful and thorough nature in which he conducted the review. Unfortunately, I do not agree with the conclusion for a number of reasons."

In his statement, Serrano doubted the ability of the Afghan government to be a stable and effective partner. He also expressed concern about the widespread corruption within the government. He also worried that our "preoccupation with ‘winning’ in Afghanistan now will divert our attention from other terrorism hotspots that could become threats," and compared this lack of focus to the diversion of resources caused by the invasion of Iraq.

“When this issue comes to a vote in Congress, I will vote against it," concluded Serrano. "Aside from my concerns about strategy, I believe that it is a cost that our nation can ill-afford, both in lives and dollars. I support the troops, but I believe the most responsible way to do so is by opposing further occupation of Afghanistan.”