WWII Memorial

Washington, Nov 20 -

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement regarding the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that provides a legal framework for the U.S. military presence in Iraq until 2011:

“The Status of Forces Agreement ensures that our service men and women will remain in harm’s way until 2011. 

“To date Congress has appropriated approximately $657 billion for the war in Iraq, but expert analysis tells us that the real cost of funding this war will amount to $3 trillion.  Yet dollar figures cannot begin to estimate the true cost of war, which includes the lives of the 4,201 of our honorable troops who have been killed in Iraq; the more than 30,000 of our troops that have been wounded; or the more than 1 million innocent Iraqi civilian lives that have been lost. 

“With our economy in shambles, unemployment on the rise and millions living without health care coverage spending billions on war is an unsustainable practice.  Our priorities must shift to reflect the needs of the American people and the needs of our veterans returning from war. 

“Despite the mandate to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home given by the American people in 2006, Congress continues to bow to the wishes of the Bush Administration by continuing to appropriate war funds.  It is time for America to stop quietly agreeing to continue destruction, death and decay.  President Bush took the U.S. into this war by lying to the American people and lying to Congress.  There is no reason to trust that his policies will ease us out of this war.”

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