Lady Sentinels

The Iraq War

On March 18, 2001, the United States invaded Iraq.. Reasons given for the invasion included apparent evidence of Iraqi harboring of WMDs and links to al-Qaeda, and the need to remove Saddam Hussein due to his tyrannical abuse of power.

Seven years later the United States is still in Iraq, restoring order and attempting to transmit power to the new Iraqi government. 3,923 American soldiers have died in the war so far and getting the Iraqis to take control over their own country is going slow. Over the past several years many questions have been raised in regard to the U.S.’ legitimacy in Iraq as many of the initial reasons for the war seem a bit lacking in evidence. As more and more Americans question the war’s validity, more troops are being sent overseas. The main question is, “Do we stay in Iraq to clean up the mess or do we bring the soldiers home out of harm’s way?”, and it seems the nation is split. These are the reasons why the Iraq War will be a major issue in the upcoming Presidential Election. What to do in Iraq, and how and when to do it, will be a key talking point in campaign speeches and debates for the next ten months. The following list, taken from the New York Times, gives the stance on the war of all the remaining presidential candidates.



Hillary Clinton :Senator from New York
Voted in 2002 to authorize invasion, now opposed; opposed troop increase; start phased withdrawal within 60 days of taking office, with the goal to have most troops out by the end of 2013.




John Edwards: Former senator from North Carolina
Voted in 2002 to authorize invasion, now opposed; opposed troop increase; withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 combat troops immediately and all troops within nine to 10 months.


Mike Gravel:Former senator from Alaska
Opposed invasion from the beginning; opposed troop increase; withdraw now



Dennis J. Kucinich: Representative from Ohio
Voted in 2002 against authorizing invasion, still opposed; opposed troop increase; de-fund the war and withdraw now.




Barack Obama: Senator from Illinois
Opposed invasion from the beginning; opposed troop increase; withdraw one or two brigades a month to finish within 16 months.



Bill Richardson: Governor of New Mexico
Opposed to the invasion, knowing what he knows now; opposed troop increase; withdraw all troops before 2010.



Rudolph W. Giuliani: Former mayor of New York City
Supportive of decision to invade; in favor of troop increase; against a timetable for troop withdrawal.



Mike Huckabee: Former governor of Arkansas
Supportive of decision to invade; was tentatively in favor of troop increase; against a timetable for troop withdrawal.


Duncan Hunter: Representative from California
Voted in 2002 to authorize invasion, still supportive; in favor of troop increase; gradually cede responsibility to Iraqis.


John McCain: Senator from Arizona
Voted in 2002 to authorize invasion, still supportive; in favor of troop increase; against a timetable for troop withdrawal.



Ron Paul: Representative from Texas
Voted in 2002 against authorizing invasion, still opposed; opposed troop increase; withdraw all troops immediately.


Mitt Romney: Former governor of Massachusetts
Supportive of decision to invade; in favor of troop increase; against a timetable for troop withdrawal.




Fred D. Thompson: Actor and former senator from Tennessee
Voted in 2002 to authorize invasion, still supportive; in favor of troop increase; against a timetable for troop withdrawal.



Americans disagree on how best to end the war, and when it should end. It may be the candidates with the best approach to ending the war that win the nomination.

posted by APGovproject @ 10:17 PM