John McCain Supports a 100-Year War in Iraq at the Expense of Oregon's Families
Democratic Party of Oregon
232 NE 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 224-8200
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Contact: Marc SiegelÂ
John
McCain Supports a 100-Year War in Iraq at the Expense of Oregon's Families
Portland - This week marks the fifth
anniversary of the start of the Iraq
war. Despite his double talk on the
campaign trail, John McCain has marched in lockstep with President Bush every
step of the way, echoing the misleading rhetoric used to make the case for war,
parroting the president's rosy rhetoric even as Iraq
was descending into civil war, and now arguing that American troops could be in
Iraq
for 100 years.
While John McCain has promised four more years of President Bush's
failed policies, Oregonians are feeling the cost of the war here at
home-a war that has made us less safe while diverting critical resources from
Oregon's priorities.
[Wall Street Journal, 3/13/08]
Since the beginning of the war, nearly 4,000 brave American men
and women in uniform have lost their lives, including many from Oregon. Since September 2001, nearly 1.7 million U.S. troops have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan,
including 3,450 members of the Army Guard and 410 Air National Guard members,
making it more difficult for Oregon
to respond to natural disasters and crises in the state.
[icasualties.org; Department of Defense, 1/31/08]
And as the economy continues to slide into what Alan
Greenspan said could be the worst slow-down since World War II, John McCain's
endless war in Iraq is
draining economic resources that would help Oregon's working families. A
recent study shows the Iraq war is now costing U.S. taxpayers $12 billion
dollars a month-that means that for the cost of less than a week in Iraq, we
could hire 51,000 police officers to make America safer; for four months in
Iraq, we could get low-income kids health care for five years; and for just
three weeks in Iraq, we could enroll 1.4 million kids in Head Start and get
them the education they need. But instead of siding with Oregon's
families, John McCain is choosing to support a war without end in Iraq.
[AP, 3/10/08; Speaker Pelosi Fact Sheet, 8/29/07]
"John McCain is out of step with Oregon values," DPO Chair Meredith Wood
Smith said. "While Oregonians want
American troops withdrawn from Iraq,
McCain wants us there for 100 years. McCain wants a war that will further
strain our economy, reduce investment in health care, education and other
crucial services and make our country less safe. That's not the kind of leadership Oregon's
families want, and that's why voters will reject John McCain's promise of a
third Bush term."
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