Iraq

Nearly six years ago, President Bush rushed us into an ill-advised war in Iraq without a plan to win the peace or an exit strategy for the brave American troops he sent to war. John believes that it is time to honorably and responsibly end this war so we can invest in priorities at home, including affordable health care coverage, better- paying jobs, and a comprehensive 21st century GI Bill of Rights for the thousands of veterans who are returning from Iraq. The war in Iraq has been mismanaged, claiming nearly 4,000 American lives and costing us over 600 billion dollars. It is time to responsibly bring our troops home and take our country in a fundamentally new direction.

Military Success and Continued Diplomacy

WWe are proud of the efforts of our Armed Forces in bringing down Saddam Hussein's regime. Their courage and skill created a framework for stability in Iraq that can only be achieved through political and diplomatic means, a process that President Bush is either unable or unwilling to carry out. John supports a phased redeployment of American forces in Iraq, a reordering of our strategic priorities, and the handing over of responsibility for Iraq to the Iraqi government. The military missions in Iraq have succeeded, and now it is time for a political solution that only the Iraqi people can achieve in cooperation with its Arab neighbors. The Iraqi people will have no incentive to take responsibility for their fate until American troops are redeployed and phased out. This plan will allow us to initiate serious diplomatic efforts with Iraq and their neighbors to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.

It is imperative that we get out of Iraq so our military efforts can be focused on finding Osama bin Laden and destroying the al Qaeda terror network.

Invest in America

TThe war in Iraq has distracted us from the greater goal of eradicating terrorism and safeguarding the lives of the American people. It has claimed nearly 4,000 American lives and cost taxpayers over $600 billion. Yet there has been no significant improvement in homeland security or stability in the Middle East. We can no longer afford to continue spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq while Americans struggle to afford basic health care coverage and pay their mortgage and skyrocketing energy bills. As a member of Congress, John will fight to reverse the costly blunders of the Bush administration.

Honor Veterans

Once our troops return from Iraq, they deserve a homecoming that is worthy of their dedicated service and sacrifice. John will fight for a 21st Century GI Bill of Rights that will provide job training, educational services, loans to purchase new homes, health care coverage, and financial assistance to veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Democrats in Congress this year added $3.6 billion to the President's fiscal year 2008 proposal and halted cuts to Veterans health care. This reversed the highly inappropriate and unfair actions of the formerly Republican-controlled Congress, which voted to cut billions of dollars from veterans' programs. The federal budget should not be balanced on the backs of the courageous young men and women who risked their lives for us. John believes that we owe it to our veterans and their families to make sure that their government will honor its commitment to them in providing the assistance they need for their transition back to civilian life.