You cast your vote last Tuesday in hopes that a Democratic majority in Congress would bring the war on Iraq to an end.
You are horrified at the fact that roughly 655,000 Iraqis and nearly 3,000 US soldiers have been killed in the war. You hate seeing cities turned to rubble, the infrastucture of a country destroyed, sectarian violence and civil war unleashed by an unjust occupation, and war crimes being carried out by your government in your name. You want an end to the war. NOW.
What the Democrats are saying about the war:
- House Speaker Elect Nancy Pelosi:
After the election, she promised to “work together in a bipartisan way to send a clear message to the Iraqi government and people that they must disarm the militias, they must amend their constitution, [and] they must engage in regional diplomacy to bring real stability and reconstruction to Iraq.”
- Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader of the new Senate, told reporters he wants to hold a “bipartisan summit on Iraq” rather than bring the war to a quick end.
- Senator Charles Schumer, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, on October 22, 2006 News Forum interview:
“No, I don’t think we can just leave, pick up and leave, but you’ve got to have a better strategy. When your strategy hasn’t worked for two, three years, you’ve got to find a new one.”
- Senator Hillary Clinton, speech on June 13, 2006:
“…we cannot bring the troops home until they make sure Iraq has a unified government.” “Nor do I think it is smart strategy to set a date certain. I do not agree that that is in the best interests.”
- Senator Barack Obama in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, November 22, 2005:
“In sum, we have to focus, methodically and without partisanship, on those steps that will: one, stabilize Iraq, avoid all out civil war, and give the factions within Iraq the space they need to forge a political settlement; two, contain and ultimately extinguish the insurgency in Iraq; and three, bring our troops safely home.”
Since the election, Obama’s remarks on the war have echoed this position.
How they have voted on the war:
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On Nov. 18, 2005, only 3 members of the House of Representatives voted for Murtha’s proposal for immediate troop withdrawal.
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On Sept. 29, 2006, 100 Senators (yes, every one of them) voted to continue funding for the war.