Republican Senate candidate Dino Rossi had some kind words for President Obama Tuesday as the president announced the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

In a statement, Rossi said Obama deserved credit for sticking with an Iraq strategy "so skillfully implemented by General Petraeus" and refusing to yield to pressure from "those in his own party" to change course.

That was a dig at his opponent, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, who opposed both the initial invasion and the troop "surge" in 2007.

"Instead of governing by opinion polls or yielding to political pressure from those in his own party, President Obama continued to fund this strategy, fulfilling America's commitment to bring stability to Iraq and improve the long-term prospects in the region," Rossi said.

Murray, meanwhile, put out no statement on Obama's speech Tuesday. She did send out a few Twitter updates, praising the sacrifices by military men and women and their families.

"To those who served in Iraq: I will work every day to honor your service to our country," Murray wrote in one Tweet. (Though she opposed the war, Murray has voted for war funding and has made improving services for veterans a top priority.)

I found Murray's relatively low-key response to the Obama speech a little odd.

But her spokesman, Matt McAlvanah, told me I was "reading too much" into her lack of a formal statement last night.

McAlvanah said Murray's overall position on the Iraq war has not changed.

"She believes the war has cost us far too much in blood and treasure and that it caused us to take our eye of the ball of combating terrorism. She also believes that it has cost us in our efforts to rebuild at home. That said, as you know, she led efforts to support the troops on the battlefield and when they returned home," McAlvanah wrote in an e-mail.

In the Eastside's 8th Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Dave Reichert also sent out a statement last night offering some praise for the President's speech and the military's accomplishments in Iraq.

His Democratic challenger, Suzan DelBene hadn't said anything by this morning, but sent a statement after I called her spokesman, who said the campaign was just late getting it out.

Reichert and DelBene statements below:

Dave Reichert:

"I appreciate the President's recognition of our brave men and women in uniform who have worked so hard to bring a measure of peace and stability to Iraq," Reichert said. "The progress we have made in that country to date would not have been possible without the stellar capabilities or the sacrifice of our courageous military men and women or their leaders. I thank them, and their families, for their selfless dedication and commitment to the service of our country.

"As this phase of the war comes to a close, we must not forget that even though this is being characterized as the end of the combat mission, thousands of troops continue to serve directly in harm's way. We still have troops who are sweeping for IEDs. We still have troops who at any moment could become victims of a suicide bomb attack. And we must not forget that the situation in Iraq is still fragile, and we must give our troops every possible resource and advantage to complete the mission set before them. I hope the President will listen to the Generals he has trusted to implement his policy decisions, and that he ensures they have the support they need to be successful.

Suzan DelBene:

"I want to echo President Obama's thanks to the men and women in uniform who serve our country. Their courage and commitment to our nation is unparalleled. Though we must focus on getting our economy back on track, we must never forget that thousands of troops are still serving in harm's way in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world. As our troops come home, it's important that we remember to support them and ensure they have economic opportunities in whatever they choose to do.

"Unemployment is still high and small businesses are still closing their doors, but all we are hearing from many politicians in Washington, D.C., is a desire to return to the same policies that drove our economy off a cliff. In order to climb out of this recession, we need to enact policies that will promote long-term economic growth."