PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Democratic Sen. Jack Reed is returning from his 11th trip to Iraq convinced that President Bush's troop surge has significantly reduced violence and increased commerce.
But Reed says an "ineffectual" Iraqi government is not capitalizing on the reduced violence.
In particular, he said the Iraqi government must figure out a way for its competing religions and ethic groups to share the country's oil wealth.
He said without the political gains needed to build a stable government, the security gains could be quickly reversed.
Reed, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, opposed President Bush's troop surge, which began last year.
He spoke with the Providence Journal in a phone interview from Kuwait during his trip home. Reed is expected back later Saturday.
