The war in Iraq
- What is your position on the war in Iraq?
When we entered this war we were misled on two key points. One, there were no weapons of mass destruction and two, at the time we entered, al Qaeda did not have a presence in Iraq. They were in Afghanistan. Since we began the occupation, al Qaeda now is in Iraq, and major violence has erupted among the Kurds, the Shiites and the Sunnis. We continuously draw the ire of Arab nations throughout the Mideast, and we are stuck right in the middle of it all. We now find ourselves in the awkward position of needing to withdraw our troops as quickly as feasible and finding an exit strategy that relies on politics and money if need be, not American lives. We currently spend an estimated $100 to $150 billion annually just on the Iraq war alone. Putting this in perspective, over a five year period this is equal to giving every single household in Iraq $100,000! I believe that with this much money at hand, there is a political answer to a swift withdrawal of our troops.
Our ability to undertake and fund overseas military operations must be examined. There will be times when real and direct threats to our national security warrant such actions, but we should never be haphazard about it. The spending that is taking place in Iraq is driving larger deficits and the use of our soldiers in foreign lands means that they are not available to help our own citizens when we face a crisis such as the fires in California or hurricanes in the south east.
- Since you are against the war why shouldn't we question your patriotism?
I believe it is the current administration's patriotism we should be questioning. It is essential that we always take measures to protect our nation when the need arises. At times, when political solutions are not viable, we may be required to put our young people in harm's way, but this should only be done as a last resort and in an effective manner. The Bush administration has done neither. After entering Iraq, we failed to listen to Generals, resulting in not having either enough troops or the proper supplies to support our presence and protect our soldiers in a meaningful way. As an example, while we were spending $100 billion a year in Iraq approximately ¾ of all of the casualties we were suffering were a result of road side bombs. There were special vehicles available with a turtle like armor shells on the bottom that could have adequately protected our soldiers, but somehow those in charge couldn't find the $8 billion in incremental funds to purchase them. We can not neglect the safety of our soldiers in battle, nor should we neglect their healthcare needs when they return.
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