First Congressional District candidate Chellie Pingree has sent out a list of three questions she hopes Congress will ask Gen. David Petraeus when he testifies this week.

Targeting the progressive vote, Pingree recently unveiled a plan to end the Iraq War with five other Congressional candidates around the country. The diplomacy-focused plan states that ending the war is the key to dealing with the country’s domestic problems.

As follows are Pingree’s questions, followed by her commentary on them, all according to a release sent out Monday.

1. Has the war in Iraq made America safer?

“Clearly the answer is ‘no,” Pingree said in a release. “We have taken our eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan, allowing al Qaeda to recover. The director of the CIA says the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan presents a ‘clear and present danger’ to the US Homeland.  Meanwhile Iran’s destabilizing influence across the Middle East has expanded dramatically because of the war, our ability to work with our allies has been damaged, and our military has been stretched to the point where its ability to adequately meet other national security challenges is in doubt.”

2. What will Gen. Petraeus do to address the growing strain on our military?

“The first thing we need to do is to leave Iraq,” Pingree said. “Twenty-five percent of soldiers on their 3rd or 4th tour in Iraq suffer mental health problems, the suicide rate among soldiers is up dramatically and the toll on the families of the 1.7 million soldiers that have been deployed continues to build.”

3. What are the administration’s plans to bring political stability to the region?

 
“We need a region-wide diplomatic effort as a critical element to political stabilization in Iraq. But I’m afraid that’s not the answer we’re going to get from General Petraeus,” Pingree said.