I was heartened to hear the President say that as we make progress on the ground, and Iraqi forces increasingly take the lead, we should be able to further decrease our troop levels.

As I have been saying for more than a year now, turning this vital mission over to the Iraqi people as soon as possible should remain a topic of debate for Congress while relying on our military commanders to set up the timetable.

I agree with the President that second-guessing is not a strategy, but at the same time, I want to continue the dialogue that ultimately will lead to bringing all of our troops home.

The training and equipping of Iraqi security forces should be accelerated.

I say further that our system of education should be unsectarian.

President Obama celebrates diversity, yet instinctively seeks common ground and builds on that common ground to make progress.