Senator Jim Webb issued the following statement on the five year anniversary of the war in Iraq on Wednesday: “The invasion and occupation of Iraq began five years ago today in the absence of a clearly articulated strategy that should have defined our national objectives as well as the circumstances that would bring about an end point to our military presence in that country. Five years later, the American people are still waiting for the kind of political and diplomatic leadership that will end the occupation, stabilize the region, and allow our country to focus on other, vital strategic challenges around the world.
“At the same time, the debate over the current situation in Iraq is being conducted as if Iraq was an isolated island rather than one country in a region that has grown ever more volatile over the past five years. Our occupation in Iraq has also tied down our highly-maneuverable military forces on the streets of that country's violence-prone cities while the forces of international terrorism retain their own fluidity. International terrorism, by nature, knows no country boundaries, which is one reason that the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan have become more precarious.
“Only when our political leadership matches the high quality of our military performance will we be able to resolve our current occupation of Iraq. And it is clear that we are not going to see that kind of leadership from the Bush administration. It is imperative that our next president place great emphasis on robust diplomacy in the region to a degree that allows us to reduce our presence in Iraq and increase stability in the region.
“In the coming months we must guard against allowing this Administration to position the next President into a situation where we have agreed to support a long-term military presence in Iraq. For more than six years, the administration has been less than open with the American public or Congress about its long-term intentions in Iraq. We must ensure that the future military presence in Iraq is decided not behind closed doors, but through the open air of free debate, including congressional consent.”
Poster Comment:
Well we know McCain's 100 years of war position.