I'm doing this to get the word out about the next Representative of South Carolina, District 1 (aka Charleston), Randal 'Randy' Maatta. He is running against Henry Brown in '06 as a Democrat; socially progressive and fiscally conservative.
I plan on posting a statement from Mr. Maatta from time to time to generate local awareness as well as national awareness, and also to appeal to the Kos community for support and aid if possible.
Today: Iraq.
Previous issues:
Part 1 : Privacy (with an introduction)
website / / Join the Team / / Donate
March 2006 marks the third anniversary of American military operations in Iraq. During this time the Administration has made the "War on Terror" with the outcome of its Iraq policy the barometer of its success or failure in this global conflict. The tragic reality is in retrospect, we now know there was no link between Iraq and the horrors of 9/11. Today, we know there were no WMDs (weapons of mass destruction), nor were there terrorist training camps in Saddam's secular regime. The Congress, both Republicans and Democrats gave the President a blank check to take military action in Iraq after assurances the Administration would use military force as a last resort.
Prior to the war, I personally opposed any military action until all inspections were completed and every meaningful attempt to bring the world community together and act as a "real coalition" was exhausted. Unlike his father, President George Herbert Walker Bush, in my view this President rushed to war without proper intelligence, proper planning, and failed to properly equip our troops or provide a force sufficient to secure the borders.
Even worse, the Administration violated a basic principle our nation has stood for since its inception: the United States took preemptive action against a sovereign state without provocation. Tragically, Americans are going to have to pay the price for an Imperial Presidency. We have already lost over 2,300 precious American lives, with over 15,000 maimed with broken minds and bodies. The Iraq War has added over $330 Billion of taxpayer's money to the nation's staggering debt. We are spending $186 Million a day, $5.6 Billion a month, without an end in sight. Every day, our sons and daughters continue to be at risk. These misguided policies have not made the United States safer, but more vulnerable to attacks by terrorist groups and rogue states, in my view. This policy is hardly conservatism in action.
However, the reality is that the time for debate and Congressional oversight has passed. This Bush Administration has committed our nation - eerily similar to the policies of President Lyndon Johnson during the Vietnam War in the 1960s - without any coherent exit strategy. Although some Members of Congress are calling for an expedited redeployment of our forces, it is essential that we achieve some level of stability in Iraq, and transfer the responsibility for Iraq's internal security over to the Iraqi defense forces and police before undertaking any precipitous withdrawal.
Iraq's future is riding on the political stabilization of the central government and the emergence of a ruling coalition the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites will accept. Regardless of what government emerges, continued violence and possibly civil war in Iraq seems inevitable.
My first concern is for our troops and the ability of the United States to combat terrorism through partnerships with our allies. With Iran reconstituting its nuclear program and North Korea forging ahead with enriched uranium to manufacture weapons, we cannot indefinitely sustain a full military presence in Iraq.
Thank you for your time!
website / / Join the Team / / Donate