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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Contact: Brooke Borkenhagen, Press Secretary
515-244-7292 Ext 680 (office)
MISSION
ACCOMPLISHED?
Iowa Democratic Party
Responds to Senator McCain’s
Visit
DES
MOINES – Today, the Iowa
Democratic Party
released the following statement in response
to Senator John McCain’s first
visit to Iowa
since becoming the presumptive Republican
nominee for
President.
Iowa
Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan’s
Statement on Senator McCain’s visit to
Iowa:
“Five years ago
today, President
Bush declared that major combat operations in
Iraq have ended in front of an
enormous banner that read, ‘Mission
Accomplished.’ Three weeks after Bush’s
infamous speech, John McCain proclaimed a
‘massive victory’ and later said ‘it’s
clear that the end is very much in
sight.’ That was five years ago.
Now --
4,000 lost lives, and at least $500 billion
later -- John McCain says keeping
our troops in Iraq
for 100 years would be fine with
him. 100 years is not a
strategy. McCain was wrong five
years ago and he is
wrong now.”
McCain remains one of the
most vocal
supporters of the President's failed strategy
in Iraq.
Instead of outlining a plan for victory and an
exit strategy, McCain is offering
a long-term troop presence in
Iraq similar to
our presence in
Germany and
South
Korea, an
approach that he once admitted
himself would not work. We’ve suffered
through two failed Bush terms, we cannot
afford a third.
Both of our Democratic presidential
candidates have clear strategies for ending
the war in Iraq.
They both believe it is time for the Iraqis to
stand up and take control of
their future. They both believe now is
the time to begin ending our involvement
in Iraq,
not 100 years from
now.
Electing a Democrat to the White
House in November means an end to the
disastrous Bush-McCain policy in
Iraq.
A Democratic President will
answer the American people’s call for change
and put our country back on the
right track.”
Jim Mowrer, served in Iraq for 16
months as a member of the 1st
Battalion, 133rd Infantry, of the
Iowa National
Guard. He appeared at a press conference
with Chairman Brennan earlier in the
day and released the following
statement:
“Not
only has Senator McCain continued to support
our
occupation in the middle of a sectarian civil
war, he has also attempted to
undermine the proposal to provide troops with
a GI Bill for the 21st
Century.
Senator McCain has
failed to present a comprehensive and
realistic plan to redeploy from Iraq.
It is clear that a vote for Senator
McCain means a
vote in favor of four more years of the failed
Bush policy in Iraq.”
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