Posted on 06/12/2005 2:40:16 PM PDT by Tumbleweed_Connection
A Republican congressman who voted for the Iraq war said Sunday that "we've done about as much as we can do" in the country and that the reason for invading Iraq has proven false.
Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina will be among the lawmakers introducing legislation this week calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of American troops in Iraq.
"When I look at the number of men and women who have been killed - it's almost 1,700 now, in addition to close to 12,000 have been severely wounded - and I just feel that the reason of going in for weapons of mass destruction, the ability of the Iraqis to make a nuclear weapon, that's all been proven that it was never there," Jones said on ABC's "This Week."
President Bush has said any timetable for withdrawal would encourage insurgents to wait for the foreign troops to leave, but Jones said he believed Iraqis can defend their own country.
His stance leaves Jones sided with Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, the most prominent Democrat calling for a timetable to leave Iraq. Jones said he had not discussed the issue with Kennedy.
Two years ago, Jones helped lead an effort to make sure Capitol Hill cafeterias retooled their menus to advertise "freedom fries" instead of french fries to protest France's opposition to the war.
Jones said he began changing his mind about the war after attending the funeral in April 2003 for Sgt. Michael Bitz, 31, who was killed in the southern city of Nasiriyah. He recalled that Bitz's widow read the last letter she received from her husband.
"And that really has been on my mind and my heart ever since," he said...
(Excerpt) Read more at ap.washingtontimes.com ...
The best answer to this is an earlier thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1421421/posts
Quoting:
--Without a hint of irony, Edith Lederer of The Associated Press reported June 3 that "U.N. satellite imagery experts have determined that material that could be used to make biological or chemical weapons and banned long-range missiles has been removed from 109 sites in Iraq."
--We've been told repeatedly by those on the Left -- which includes most journalists -- that Bush Lied! when he gave the danger posed by Saddam's WMD programs as one of the reasons for going to war with Iraq. Did the United Nations lie, too? Is it lying now? When did Karl Rove go to work for Kofi Annan?
End quote.
The reason for going after Saddam was that it was impossible to conduct any war on terror with Saddam still in place. It was impossible to put any pressure on Ryadh with Saddam still in place. It was impossible to put any pressure on Tehran with Saddam still in place. It was impossible to put any pressure on Damascus with Saddam still in place.
And it is necessary to understand that the UN had been bought by Saddam, and it was necessary to remove him to set the UN free of him. He owned them at least three ways; France, Russia, and China (at the least) had signed multi-billion dollar agreements with him which would only be valid if the UN sanctions were removed with Saddam still in power; and we now know that hundreds of millions dollars in secret payments were made to Russia, and millions more to France.
This meant that the Security Council could be managed.
And, the UN oil-for-food scam meant that UN senior management was on the take as well.
While not all of us knew about the second two, which amounted to millions, we absolutely all of us knew about the first, which amounted to hundreds of billions, even if the press has chosen to soft-pedal it. This meant that Saddam was going to emerge from sanctions, with the backing the UN and key world powers.
Sanctions were already unravelling when Bush took office; which meant that from his first day in office Bush had to choose between standing by and watching it happen, or else acting to take him out.
He chose the latter, and I have never doubted that it was the right decision.
And loving saddam, IMO. You know the guy who gave $25,000 so that palestinian kids could blow themselves up along with innocent Israeli's.
I say fire those whining officers if they don't quit.
With all due respect, we won this war incredibly quickly.
How many years did we stay in Germany and Japan after we helped the Allies win that war?
How many years have we been in Bosnia?
The war is over but if we leave before the Iraqi people can govern and defend themselves than our losses have truly been in vain.
Howdy Dane! After going round and round over illegal immigration, we finally find something to agree upon. Wonders never cease!
Talk of pulling the troops out just encourages our enemies.
No kidding. And we are still in Germany.
No real surprise. They creep into every thread and start the usual Bush hatred crap. I bet they couldn't do any better but it is always safe to arm chair quarterback from behind the safety of a keyboard.
If we withdrawl from Iraq it will be seen for waht it is by Al Qaeda: A DEFEAT
If pulling out of Somalia inspired Bin Ladin to pull off 9-11, what would pulling out of Iraq inspire?
if we pull of out Iraq, I can guarantee that we will lose Afghanistan within one year. the tatics uesd to drive America out of Iraq will be used successfully in Afghanistan. American will have lost the war on terror.
For the first time ever a Democracy will have fallen to terrorism. For the first time ever homocide bomers will have successfully wage a victorious campaign against the world's largest military.
Vietnam;s loss inspired the USSR to invade Afghanistan, aid Nicarauga, gave hope to Iran that they could get away with taking hostages.
What will pulling out of Iraq inspire??
I am discouraged that so many Americans cannot see that our actions in Iraq will have profound implications for the next 25 years. They seem to think that a pull out would occur only in a vacuum
I say fire those whining officers if they don't quit
I would take nativetxn's hearsay, with a big grain of salt, espcially with his/her DU talking points.
Dear Congressman Jones,
I'd like to thank you for giving us a timetable for pulling your troops out of Iraq. By setting a timetable for the war to end, rather than actually trying to win it, you have given us renewed hope and the knowledge that the great satan has been beaten by us, and that all we need to do is wait you out.
I can't begin to tell you how we will dance in the streets as we chase you out of the middle east, and we will know that the great satan in nothing more than a paper tiger.
And once you're gone, we will then come to your homes and kill you. And there will be rejoicing in the streets as america comes under the rule of sharia law.
Thanks for all your assistance!
Osama
"Congress is a Perfect Example Of Where You Will NOT Find The Best And Brightest Of The USA."
Well .. the democrats are proving that in spades!
Watching that Judiciary hearing the other night - with Conyers, Lee and Nadler grandstanding all over the place .. made me sick.
Agreed. I know several families in Fort Hood, Killen, Copperas Cove area. I talk to them often. I don't know what circles nativetxn travels in, but the men and women that serve that I know are all dedicated to serve.
Ah, this guy will be quoted now by every democrat who will say, Republican so and so says...yada yada. Well fine, lets close Gitmo, bring the troops home. and move all former GITMO detainess to this guys district and if anything bad happens we can say."Well, hey they did not have WMD's"So I guess the killing of serveral hundred thousands of Iraq citizens under Saddam was ok by this guys standards?
What your saying is not reflected in the retention figures...
Active duty retention. All services met or exceeded their overall retention goals for May. The Air Force mid-career rate is below its goal, because of efforts to reduce its strength by offering voluntary separations in surplus skills. All the services are projected to meet their retention goals for the current fiscal year.
http://www.dod.mil/releases/2005/nr20050610-3621.html
Things like this really embolden they fundamentalist muslims overseas who use information like this to claim that Islam is winning.
Of course many of the so called moderates in places like Indonesia who up until now have been sitting on the fence are inclined to join the ranks of the fundamentalists.
Seriously, had these congresscritters been in elected office in 1941, we would have surrendered after Pearl Harbor!
IIRC, we lost more men at Pearl Harbor than we have in more than 2 years in Iraq. I wonder how this a$$h01e would have reacted to the losses at Omaha Beach?
Mark
"replace them with leaders who are able to come up with a plan to win this war soon and not cop out about how difficult it is and how long it will take. Patton wouldn't take those excuses."
And how, may I ask, do you know there is not a plan?
Second, what is wrong with you idiots who think we should put a "deadline" on the war and, worst of all, announce to you and the enemy the date we are pulling out?! I can't even comprehend such stupidity!!!
Please Freep this congressman.
I sent him an email
Of course Congress continues to be represented by the best and the brightest!
Actually, I'm all for closing down the detension center at GITMO, on one conditition. The terrorists/enemy combatants are to be placed under the supervision of the editorial staff of the New York Times and the leadership of Amnesty International. They are to be housed at their offices, or taken home to their families. And the staffers will be personally responsible for the actions of these terrorists.
Mark
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