Kucinich: Continued US Occupation of Iraq is Counterproductive

[goodhue]

This Kucinich press release predates the recent "handover" but still rings true to me . . .

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/oh10_kucinich/0622404farce.html

For Immediate Release
Thursday, June 24, 2004
Kucinich: House Iraq Resolution Is A Farce

Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Ranking Member of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations, issued the following statement today on the House floor on H. Res. 691:

“My colleague has pointed out that the debate on this resolution is being covered by C-SPAN, I would suggest it should be covered by the Science Fiction Network. Let us not be fooled by this bill. The bill before us today endorses an illegal war that this nation entered into based on lies and misrepresentations. We must not forget Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, with al-Qaeda’s role in 9/11. Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. It was wrong to go in, and it is wrong to stay in.

“The June 30th, sovereignty date this resolution discusses is a hoax. What kind of sovereignty will Iraq have with 130,000 US troops present? What kind of sovereignty does Iraq have when the US is now selling Iraq’s oil and spending the money as it sees fit?

“This bill states that we are handing Iraq a ‘safe, secure and stable’ state. This could not be further from the truth.

“In effect it declares a desert an oasis, a swamp a garden, a lie the truth.

“The US occupation of Iraq is counterproductive. The continued US occupation will not end on June 30th. Make no mistake about it, on July 1st the violence will not end, the attacks will not stop and over 130,000 US troops will still be in harms way.

“It is time for us to recognize that our nation went down the wrong path. The policy is unsustainable and it is a failure. We cannot continue down this path.

“It is time for a peace plan and an exit strategy. It is time for us to get the international community involved and to bring our troops home. It is time to bring the UN in and get the US out.

“We should not be fooled, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this resolution. We should be looking to bring this Congress together with a new direction.

“This resolution does not do this. This resolution is a farce and should be defeated.”

[mike_c]

1. we are not worthy....

DK is the best democrat left in America.

[Fovea]

2. Dennis Kucinich

is the soul of the Democratic Party.
Zell Miller is not fit to lick his shoes.

[no name no slogan]

3. Once again, Dennis is "the eyes who see through the lies"

And I am proud to have supported him during the primaries. If only more Democrats were not afraid to stand up to BushCo's lies....

[asthmaticeog]

4. Makes me proud

to be from Cleveland. It's so much easier to endure the jokes knowing that this truly great man is one of our own.

[MaggieSwanson]

5. Dennis is always right on.

What a remarkable man, and an inspiration to so many.

[LWolf]

6. A kick for Dennis:

the best of the democrats.

[Freddie Stubbs]

7. A majority of Democrats voted for this bill

http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll319.xml

Apparently Mr. Kucinich is not as persuasive as some think that he is.

[Desertrose]

9. no big surprise Freddie....the dems have been rolling over

for a long time now....Kerry included.

Thank god we have someone like DK who WILL speak up & stand his ground. Damn shame more don't really listen to him.
Peace
DR

[no name no slogan]

11. So? Brittney Spears sells millions of CDs with each release

That still does not make her the most talented vocalist in the world.

:D

[LWolf]

13. Or, perhaps,

that's why we prefer Congressman Kucinich to a majority of Democrats.

[goodhue]

15. 57 voted Nay

Baldwin
Blumenauer
Brown (OH)
Clay
Conyers
Cummings
DeGette
Delahunt
Eshoo
Farr
Filner
Frank (MA)
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hinchey
Holt
Honda
Jackson (IL)
Kaptur
Kilpatrick
Kleczka
Kucinich
Larson (CT)
Lee
Lewis (GA)
Lofgren
Maloney
Markey
McCarthy (MO)
McCollum
McGovern
Meehan
Miller, George
Nadler
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Olver
Owens
Pallone
Pastor
Paul
Payne
Rangel
Rush
Sabo
Schakowsky
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Solis
Stark
Tierney
Towns
Velázquez
Waters
Watt
Wexler
Woolsey

And 24 others did not vote.
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2004/roll319.xml

Majority opinion is not always correct (remember claimed WMDs?)

[Kanary]

16. DeGetted voted against??

Sonny gun......... guess I'll have to give her office a call of thanks...

Thanks for posting the list......

Kanary, amazed and pleased......

[goodhue]

17. Was that a surprise?

I don't know much about DeGette.

I was glad to see my rep, Sabo, on the list.

Its a pretty good list, although I wish it were longer.

[Desertrose]

8. This is honesty & integrity, folks.

Dennis John Kucinich....
.....and we could have had HIM for pres......

DK:yourock:

Proud to have worked on your campaign and to have met you. Once a DK supporter always a DK supporter.


Peace
DR

[PVnRT]

10. I admire his conviction

But, if we pull out now with no one to relieve our troops, Iraq becomes Afghanistan II. I would like to hope some good will come out of this whole mess, and just abandoning the place to its own devices will ensure that none does.

[no name no slogan]

12. Iraq is NOT Afghanistan. Just compare the last 20 years

Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq has had a functional government and infrastructure for the last 20+ years. It's only been since March 2003 that it has collapsed. There are many Iraqis who know how governments work, and have worked in the government, Baathist or not. Compare that to Afghanistan, which has almost no infrastructure and has not had a functioning national government since the Soviets left.

Also consider this: what if our troops are the CAUSE of the unrest in Iraq?

There's strong evidence to suggest that a continuing US presence in Iraq is the reason for the uprisings and terrorist strikes. In fact, 70% of Iraqis wish the American troops would leave, and let them determine their destiny.

As for "abandoning" Iraq, Howard Zinn said it best: How arrogant are we, as a country, to think that the Iraqis somehow "need" us to show them how to run their own affairs? There are PLENTY of natural leaders in Iraq who enjoy widespread support, and who are even now working together to manage their own affairs WITHOUT the help of the US or its troops.

It is this same kind of "benevolent paternalism" that got us stuck in Vietnam. We thought that leaving Vietnam would mean "abandoning" it to the Commies, although most of the people in the south didn't care one way or the other who was in charge.

This same "benevolent paternalism" by the post-Wilsonian Democrats was also responsible for much of the instability and human rights abused around the world during the Cold War. We backed Suharto, Somoza and Pinochet against the popular governments of their countries because we felt we "knew better" than to let the peoples of Indonesia, Nicaragua and Chile choose their own governments.

The US has yet to have any big success at "nation building" since WWII, despite our numerous efforts to "export democracy" to the rest of the world (as opposed to letting a home-grown version come to life in its native habitat, so to speak). Our presence and remaining control of Iraq does nothing to foster an independent Iraq, it only goes to prove that we invaded for our own selfish reasons, and NOT in the interest of the people.


Look at Fallujah, for example: the US tried to impose its own "order" on the city, and was stopped by the residents of the city. Now, it's off-limits for US troops, and his managing its affairs on its own.

[Zorra]

14. "A safe, secure, and stable state"? Why are they calling up the IRR then?

Kooch is right, as usual.