I have serious concerns about the Bush administration’s handling of the
War in Iraq. From the beginning, this was a war that was sold to the
American people and Members of Congress under false pretenses, and
despite the administration's claims, no competent postwar plan was ever
developed. Almost as troublesome, the Bush administration resisted any
real oversight of postwar issues, so even as our soldiers from New York
and around the country are facing the challenges of the war, the
American people have little way of knowing who to hold accountable for
the failures in Iraq.
I have taken a number of actions in response to the situation in Iraq. In the 110th Congress, I was a cosponsor of H. J. Res. 18 introduced by Rep. John Murtha, which laid out a practical plan to
redeploy troops from Iraq. I pushed for investigations into the no-bid
reconstruction contracts. Since the women of Iraq could actually see
some of their rights slip away under a more theocratic government, I
repeatedly urged the Bush administration to demand more women's rights
in the Iraqi constitution. And when given photos of
inadequatedly-armored Humvees being used in Iraq by New York soldiers,
I took action to try to guarantee that all of our soldiers are properly
equipped.
Additionally, on April 10, 2006, I held a Town Hall Meeting on the War in Iraq with Rep. John Murtha, a highly decorated veteran who served 37 years in the Marine Corps and authored the House Resolution Calling for U.S. Forces to leave Iraq.
As a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus, I believe that we should act immediately to get our brave soldiers back home as soon as possible.
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