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Iraq
In the fall of 2002, the President and senior officials in his
Administration repeatedly made claims that Iraq posed an imminent
threat to America . We were told that Iraq was very close to
developing a nuclear weapon, that Iraq had stockpiles of weapons
of mass destruction, that there were credible ties between 9/11
and Saddam Hussein, and that Saddam Hussein was credibly linked
to Al Qaeda.
At the time those claims were made by the President, there was
weak or no evidence to support them. Given this lack of evidence,
and believing that an invasion would be counterproductive for
the United States , I voted against the resolution for war in
October of 2002, along with a majority of Democrats in the House
of Representatives.
The weak evidence for war presented by the President in 2002
is not only weaker today, much of it has been refuted, sometimes
by the President himself. As we now know, Iraq possessed no “weapons
of mass destruction” and was not on the verge of developing nuclear
weapons. The President has admitted that Saddam Hussein was not
involved with 9/11 and we know there was no credible connection
between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda.
This war has been expensive for the United States in many ways:
cost to the taxpayers ($4 to $6 Billion a month), prestige around
the world, adverse impact on the U.S. Reserves, National Guard
and active duty forces and, most seriously, the death, mutilation,
and injury of many fine Americans who have served bravely and
honorably in our Armed Services. The loss of lives, both American
and Iraqi, the destruction of large parts of Iraq and the political
and social instability that have occurred since the invasion
raise the risk that Iraq may continue to be unstable and be a
cause for instability in the region. There is substantial evidence
that on account of our invasion and occupation, Iraq has become
a “host country” for “terrorists in training”, just as Afghanistan
was under Taliban rule.
We must support those who are serving honorably in Iraq . They
did not make the policy decision to initiate this war, but they
are doing their duty as soldiers to serve their country. In Congress,
I have and will continue my efforts to pursue peace and stability
in Iraq and the Middle East , and I will do everything I can
to support our troops who serve this country so faithfully.
Supporting our troops not only means providing troops and their
families with military, equipment, financial, and emotional support,
it also means taking steps to achieve a more successful outcome
for this ill-advised endeavor. The President's lack of planning
for winning the peace is tragically evident today. We will honor
our troops best by allowing them to return safely home with the
best success that is possible to achieve. A plan and strategy
must be established for this to occur. After attending many classified
briefings it is obvious that no such plan or strategy exists
now.
Below I list just some of the actions, resolutions, and letters
I have signed regarding Iraq as well as my statement during the
initial debate on the war on October 9, 2002 :
- Cosponsor of H.Res. 1043 (109th Congress): Directing the Director of National Intelligence to submit to the House of Representatives not later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of this resolution, in unclassified form, all documents in the possession of the Director concerning the impact of the war in Iraq on terrorism and terrorist threats, including a National Intelligence Estimated entitled "Trends in Global Terrorism: Implications for the United States" dated on or about April, 2006, and any other actual or pending National Intelligence Estimates concerning Iraq.
- Cosponsor of H.J.Res. 73 (109th Congress): States that: (1) the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq, by direction of Congress, is hereby terminated and the forces involved are to be redeployed at the earliest practicable date; (2) a quick-reaction U.S. force and an over-the-horizon presence of U.S. Marines shall be deployed in the region; and (3) the United States shall pursue security and stability in Iraq through diplomacy.
- Cosponsor of H.Res. 505 (109th Congress): Requesting the President of the United States and directing the Secretary of State to provide to the House of Representatives certain documents in their possession relating to the White House Iraq Group.
- Cosponsor of H.Con.Res. 348 (109th Congress): Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq; (2) the United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil; and (3) U.S. Armed Forces should be redeployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the completion of Iraq's constitution-making process or September 30, 2006, whichever occurs first.
- Cosponsor of H.Con.Res. 197 (109th Congress): Declaring that it is the policy of the United States not to enter into any base agreement with the Government of Iraq that would lead to a permanent United States military presence in Iraq.
- Cosigner of letter to conferees urging them to retain a “no permanent bases in Iraq” provision in supplemental appropriations (May 2006)
- Rep.
Lofgren Praises Rep. Murtha’s Courageous Statement
on Iraq
- Cosponsor of H.J.Res. 55 (109 th Congress) : Would require
the President to develop and implement a plan for U.S. military
withdrawal from Iraq by December 31, 2005 and initiate withdrawal
as soon as possible but no later than October 1, 2006
- Co-signer of letter to President Bush urging him to
meet with Cindy Sheehan and protect her from arrest: August
10, 2005
- Cosponsor of H.R. 2625 (108th Congress) : To establish
an independent Commission on intelligence on Iraq
- Co-host of Democratic Hearing on the Downing Street Memos
: June 16, 2005
- Joined Democratic Members of Congress to deliver petitions to the White House asking for answers on Iraq and information
on the Downing Street Memos: June 16, 2005
- Cosponsor of H.R. 3003 (109 th Congress) and H.R. 2625
(108 th Congress) : To establish an independent Commission
to investigate detainees abuses
- Cosponsor of H.R. 3541 (109 th Congress) : To prohibit subjecting
any person in U.S. custody to torture or cruel, inhuman, or
degrading treatment or punishment that is prohibited by the
U.S. Constitution, laws, or treaties.
- Co-signer of letter to President Bush urging him to
require Deputy White House Chief of Staff, Karl Rove, to either
come forward immediately to explain his role in the Valerie
Plame matter or to resign from the Administration: July 7,
2005
- Cosponsor of H.R. 1352 (109 th Congress) : To authorize tax
credits for employers that hire veterans of Operation Iraqi
Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom and their families
- Cosponsor of H.R. 1588 (109 th Congress) : To direct
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to address mental health
regarding veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation
Enduring Freedom
- Cosponsor of H.R. 2131 (109 th Congress): To expand rights
and benefits for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and
their dependents and survivors
- Cosponsor of H.R. 3051 (108 th Congress) : To pay a one-time
bonus to members of the Armed Forces who served or serve in
a combat zone in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring
Freedom
To view my statement on my vote against
the authorization for use of military force for use against
Iraq of military force against Iraq on October 9, 2002 (HJ
Res . 114), click here. |
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