Barbara Lee’s Statement on Iraq Withdrawal Plan
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) released the following statement today in response to news that U.S. military planners are considering a plan that could remove as many as half of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by 2007:
“I hope that the Bush administration is finally understanding what we have been saying for years, namely that they need a clear, timelined plan for bringing our troops home from Iraq.
“What remains to be seen is whether they will create a plan with real benchmarks, or a cynical cosmetic drawdown of troops, designed to minimize the impact of Bush’s unpopular war at the polls in November.
“The truth is that the Iraqi people and the American people understand that an open-ended military commitment in Iraq is in nobody’s interest.
“The Casey plan is a positive step, if you consider that there currently is no plan. I believe we need clear benchmarks, a short, precise timetable, and an assurance that when US troops come home, they all come home, meaning no permanent bases.
“On this last point, the Republican commitment to bringing all of our troops home is in question, given that they have shown their willingness to vote against keeping permanent military bases in Iraq in public, but to privately maneuver to leave the door open for such bases.
“It seems like only last week that the Bush administration and Republicans in Congress were condemning any consideration of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. I look forward to hearing them explain how they were against having a plan for withdrawal from Iraq before they were for it.”
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