U.S. Senator Bob Menendez recently returned from a two-day trip to meet with troops in Iraq.

Menendez has long opposed the war and is continuing his call to bring the 160,000 troops home. The Democratic senator says he took the trip on the one-year anniversary of the troop surge to get a sense of what the political progress is in Iraq.

During the trip, Menendez met with soldiers from Newark and Kearny.

Menendez feels since the troops surge, there has been immediate success in quelling some of the violence on the ground.

As he returns to Washington, Menendez says, ?We need to do everything we can to get the president to transition our troops out of Iraq. We can do it with honor and at the same time, embolden the Iraqis by letting them know the clock is ticking. You?ve got to make choices.?

For an exclusive interview with Sen. Menendez, go to channel 612 on your iO digital cable box and select iO Extra.