Iraq and Afghanistan
Iraq
The United States must end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home safely. The war in Iraq was misguided and poorly planned from the start by the Bush Administration. It has dragged on for more than five long years with little progress or peace. Now is the time to end the war and bring our troops home.
In Congress, I will vote to end the Iraq War and for the development of an immediate timetable for withdrawal. There is no military solution to this conflict; the Iraqis must take responsibility for their country and begin to make the tough decisions and compromises that will bring their country together. The resolution to this nightmarish conflict will be achieved through diplomacy, not with continued military intervention.
The U.S. must take immediate steps to create an international diplomatic council, which includes Iraq’s neighbors, key allies and the United Nations, to stabilize the current civil unrest and bring the conflicting factions into peace talks. Diplomatic efforts will help to develop strategies to stabilize Iraq and ultimately achieve a workable resolution. The international community has as much at stake in the future of Iraq as the United States does.
Afghanistan
The Bush Administration set its sights on Iraq before achieving success in Afghanistan. Now, almost seven years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still free, and we have not secured Afghanistan. Today, the Taliban is making a resurgence and the fragile successes we have achieved are at risk. We must refocus our efforts on Afghanistan and capturing the terrorists who perpetrated 9/11.
Restoring our Standing in the World
I will also stand up in Congress to reverse the Bush Administration’s failed policies of unilateralism. We must rebuild trust and credibility by rejecting torture, abiding by the Geneva Conventions, and respecting the civil liberties of our own citizens. Only then can we once again take our place as a champion of human rights and leader in the global community.
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