When I first got into the race for Colorado's 6th Congressional District against Tom Tancredo, I did an online interview for ePluribus Media that covered a lot of ground. I wanted to revisit that interview now when more people are paying attention, because I think there are some important truths here.
I am posting that interview one question at a time with only minor revisions where needed to reflect the passage of eight months. I look forward to your feedback and will try to respond to your comments as much as possible. Here's number three:
Q) How specifically can we bring about a "swift and secure" end to the Iraq War, and why is that important?
A) A swift and secure end to the Iraq War is important because it ultimately impacts America in so many ways. This war is impacting us in lives lost, lives changed, and lives destroyed. It is impacting us in its unbelievable cost, both in dollars, lives, and the loss of our status in the world.
We need a swift and secure end to this war to reestablish some semblance of stability in the Middle East and so that we can reestablish the respect we once held in the world. And we need a swift and secure end to the war so that we can stop spending billions of dollars on something that is NOT making us safer or more secure.
We have significantly exceeded the 300 BILLION dollar mark in the cost of this war. And what have we gained from such an expense? What could we have done here in America with so much money? What a waste!
So how can we bring about a swift and secure end to the Iraq War? Well, the first step would be actual leadership from the White House. President Bush should stand up before America and the World and admit that he was wrong. He should admit he was wrong about the reasons why we went to war, and he should admit he was wrong about how his administration has fought the war. And then he should ask the rest of the world for real help on the ground in Iraq to help create a peaceful and stable government there.
Mr. Bush says we have a coalition in Iraq already, and that is a lie. How is it that America has over 2,500 soldiers killed in Iraq and the next closest is Great Britain with 115? In fact, the total of all other members of the "coalition" combined is only 130! What kind of coalition is that?
When I was on active duty in the Navy in 1990, George Bush, Sr. put together a real coalition that put 500,000 troops on the ground. Only half of those were Americans! American dollars paid for only five percent of that war. We need a true coalition and we need other nations to put significant numbers of troops on the ground so that we can reestablish order in Iraq.
The insurgency in Iraq exists because we are viewed not as liberators, but as occupiers. And why shouldn't they see us that way? Mr. Bush gives no indication that we will ever leave. He is building military bases there instead of rebuilding Iraq. By getting U.S. troops out of Iraq and replacing them with international troops, we show Iraq and the world that we really are liberators and not conquerors.
We also need to get American corporations like Halliburton out of Iraq along with the six figure salary Americans they are employing. We need to give the rebuilding of Iraq back to Iraqis. Unemployment in Iraq is around 40%. Isn't it clear that this also contributes to the insurgency? If we give jobs in Iraq to Iraqis, they will have a stake in the rebuilding of their own country and will have less time and inclination to be involved in the insurgency.
And we need to get serious about rebuilding Iraq. We are three and a half years into this war and most Iraqis still do not have electricity or running water for much of every day. We have poured over 300 BILLION dollars into the Iraq War and we still haven't rebuilt the most basic infrastructure! That speaks to incompetence and corruption on a grand scale, and it also contributes to the insurgency.
My opponent was one of only 11 members of Congress to vote against aid for Katrina victims. He said it was because there was no oversight. And yet he has voted for every request for money for the Iraq War from this Administration. Over 9 billion dollars are simply missing in Iraq. What kind of oversight is that?
I don't actually believe we will see leadership or new ideas from the Bush Administration. But I do believe it is Congress' job to hold the White House accountable, and I will do that as the Congressman from CO-06. My opponent has not and will not!
Bill Winter
http://winterforcongress.com/