| Five years ago today, the President appeared on our televisions and announced he had given military orders unprecedented in our nation's history. Moments later, we watched as bombs flew over Baghdad as the needless bloodshed began. And every day for five years, innocent blood has continued to spill, and promising lives have been lost because of lies.
And for every day of those five years, Congressional candidate Phil Steck has staunchly opposed and fought against the War in Iraq. I believe nobody in this crowded field of primary candidates is more qualified, more sincere, and able in his pledge to bring this war to an end as your Representative in Congress. Today, Phil Steck released a statement outlining his feelings on the Iraq War, some of which I am compelled to share with my fellow voters.
Read about Phil Steck's five years of opposition to the occupation, and how it compares to other candidates, below the fold. |
Five years ago, this nation was misled into war on Iraq. However, the Bush Administration's statements on the war did not ring true to me, and its unilateralist approach to foreign policy was fundamentally flawed. Therefore, I was on record opposing the intervention in Iraq from the beginning and spoke out about this issue then as a member of the Albany County Legislature.
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To date, nearly 4,000 U.S. service men and women have been killed, and millions of Iraqis have been killed, are living as refugees in other countries, or have been displaced within Iraq. My heart goes out to both my fellow Americans and the Iraqis who have suffered and are suffering as a result of this war.
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Close to $500 billion has been spent in Iraq and related conflicts. This has compromised the ability of our government to be effective on the home front. Now, as the nation spirals deeper into recession, the Bush Administration is asking Congress for at least another $102 billion.
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I believe Congress should fund withdrawal from Iraq not continuation of this fruitless war without evidence that there is any light at the end of the tunnel. We must have he courage to end this unjustified war and let the Iraqi people be free to govern themselves and decide their own future.
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We need a Congress that will stand up for what's right: ending this war and bringing the international criminal Osama bin Laden, and his organization, to justice.
All five of our Congressional candidates in 2008, including Darius Shahinfar, are outlining their opposition to the War now, and I believe we owe all of them our thanks for this. No matter who wins this primary, we will have a Representative who is opposed to the war.
But will we have a Representative who is as committed as Phil Steck is to finally ending this thing? Who will make absolutely certain we don't end up with a sixth, seventh, and eigth anniversary to the Iraq War? 2008 has to be about getting out of Iraq, once and for all.
2006 was supposed to be about getting out of Iraq. And here we are, two years later, "celebrating" another "anniversary"...mouring another 2,000 needless deaths. I think it's telling that Rep. Gillibrand ran on ending the war in 2006 and it's still going on, and now one of her aides is running in a neighboring district...
Darius Shahinfar's boss, Representative Gillibrand, is a pretty good Representative, but this link directs to a point where she (and perhaps Darius, as well) displayed less than staunch opposition to the Iraq War, joining other Blue Dogs in authorizing more of that funding because:
"It's one we believe the president will sign," Gillibrand, D-Greenport, said...While not ideal, the bill includes some accountability for the Bush administration, she said. Gillibrand's vote in favor of the bill was opposite the position of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who voted against it. Emphasis added.
I'd like to think that Darius Shahinfar, as Congressional aide for Rep. Gillibrand, pushed his boss to join progressive Democrats in Congress in saying we should not spend another dollar on this terrible war. But I don't want to just think my next representative will do this...
...I want to know it. And I know for a fact that Phil Steck would have voted with the Speaker in a heartbeat. That is the kind of decisive, progressive leadership we need representing the 21st Congressional District of New York.
Phil Steck's Purpose for Change features his opposition to the Iraq War front and center.
I am running for Congress because we need a representative who is committed to doing what it will take to begin to change the direction of our country. Over the last eight years, the Bush Administration has failed America's working families. Two failures where history will harshly judge this Presidency are the colossal failure in Iraq and this Administration's ability to take care of powerful friends at our expense.
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But frankly, we need to expect more from our fellow Democrats and hold them to the highest standards...We need Democrats who will stand up for our communities and our interests, and finally and forcefully work for the changes we need.
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There are cynics who say Washington can't change and we're better off just playing along. Well, that's not me, and that is certainly not what the Founding Fathers envisioned for our government. Others may find it politically convenient today to talk about change. But I have a history of making change.
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The purpose of working hard throughout my life has been to bring about change. This campaign for Congress is no different, and there is a clear purpose:
I believe we need to end this war in Iraq now.
That is what I believe in. If you share that belief, join us.
That is what I believe, to. I also believe that the majority of voters in the district share that belief, and we can all come together around the most qualified candidate to finally put an end to this war...to put an end to the anniversaries and commence a new beginning for a moral American foreign policy.
Join Phil Steck this Saturday in Remembering the Fallen.
Contribute to the Steck for Congress Campaign to end the War in Iraq in the next Congress.
Or just tell a friend about Phil Steck. |
