Iraq

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The war in Iraq has become a serious point of debate between well-meaning Americans of all political stripes. Recent discussion in Congress and other forums of public debate have demonstrated the strong passions of individuals on both sides. I believe these conversations are a necessary part of our democratic process. Nothing is inherently wrong with criticizing the decision to go to war or critiquing the way in which the war is being conducted. What is not acceptable is for either side to engage in baseless accusations or revisionist history in an effort to prove their point.

When tensions between Iraq and the United States were escalating toward war, members of both political parties over two presidential administrations and numerous sessions of Congress expressed their serious concern over Iraq’s continued aggression. When both Republican and Democrat Members of Congress reviewed the intelligence available in the months leading to the conflict we were unified in the opinion that action was needed. In fact, more than one hundred Democrats in the House and Senate voted in favor of granting war powers to the President in October 2002.

Many accusations have been leveled against the intelligence used to justify the war, and some allege that the Administration manipulated intelligence reports for their own advantage. However, you may be interested to know that the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee unanimously voted to clear the Bush Administration of accusations that they had pressured the intelligence community for political purposes. In addition, there was international recognition that Saddam Hussein possessed and was developing weapons of mass destruction. The United Nations passed over a dozen resolutions to that affect, yet failed to act.

At the end of the day, the fact is that individuals of different political beliefs looked at the same intelligence and came to the same conclusion: Iraq was dangerous and action was necessary. The most important question now is, of course, what we can do to support our troops and ensure stability in the Middle East.

As a Vietnam veteran myself, I realize how horrible war can be and would never support sending our men and women in uniform into harm’s way without good reason. Unfortunately, there are times when armed conflict is inevitable. Our military is trained and equipped to combat these threats. America’s troops have done an admirable job in Iraq and have been rewarded by many positive developments.

The Iraqi people took responsibility for their government with the transfer of sovereignty in June 2004. Iraq held its first free, democratic election on January 30, 2005. Over 9.8 million Iraqis turned out for the vote on the constitution, which was overwhelmingly approved.

Education is being revolutionized as 80,000 Iraqi children are attending school, many for the first time. Much has been accomplished in Iraq over the last two years and I will continue to support our men and women in uniform as they work with their Iraqi counterparts to accomplish even more.

Another goal of our actions in Iraq is to replace the tyrannical ideology of hate with democracy and hope across the broader Middle East. If no one stepped in to offer an alternative to the regimes of dictators like Saddam Hussein, the Middle East would be a source of endless conflict and mounting danger, both now and in the generations to come. Democracy offers hope for Iraq and other nations to settle conflicts through open dialogue and consensus. By fighting for and supporting freedom for all people, we also make our own freedom more secure.

While polls have shown that support for the war in Iraq is not as strong as it once was, I don’t believe that merits a new ‘cut and run’ strategy from a place where we have had so much success. Once we are engaged in a conflict, decisions cannot be based on political popularity or ease. The actions of our military must be directed by qualified personnel committed to the safety and success of our troops. The people of Iraq need to know that we will help them through the process of democratization, and the terrorists we combat must realize that we will not tolerate their attacks on innocent civilians. Most important, our men and women on the ground deserve to know that their nation is unified behind them.

I hope as you do that America’s troops will be able to come home soon. To be sure, the current trial of Saddam Hussein, Iraq’s parliamentary elections, and the continued transition of power to the Iraqi people all indicate that we are on the right course. However, second-guessing the motivation behind the war and attacking those who have faithfully served is not the path to victory. I strongly believe that America should continue to fight terrorism in Iraq and will ultimately prevail.