I've been a vocal critic of ever going into the war in Iraq. I don't believe that the United States can solve other countries' historical internecine conflicts through full scale military engagement. We must bring our troops home as soon as possible.
I opposed the war in Iraq because I believed that our military efforts should have been focused on finding Osama bin Laden and destroying the al Qaeda terror network in Afghanistan.
President Bush rushed us into an ill-advised war without a plan to win the peace or a comprehensive exit strategy. I believe that Congress should support our brave men and women of the armed forces.
We need to bring them home safely and as quickly as possible. It is due time that we stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq while Americans struggle with their mortgages, credit card bills, and health insurance expenses.
Source: Campaign website, www.stephenpagliuca.com, "Issues"
Oct 1, 2009
Draw down our forces in Afghanistan
I am wary of sending more troops to Afghanistan without a compelling strategy that outlines how they will be used and the strategic goals their deployment will support. My instinct is that we should look at drawing down our forces in
Afghanistan as opposed to building them up. I am a firm believer in counter-terrorism, as opposed to counter-insurgency. Many terrorists are no longer in Afghanistan; they are in Pakistan, Kashmir, and Somalia.
In order to fight terrorists effectively we need to maintain the agility and resources to combat them wherever they arise. By increasing our commitment to Afghanistan I worry that we are putting our brave men and women in danger without
a definable and achievable purpose. I need to talk to the commanders on the ground before making final determinations, but I don't think that the war in Afghanistan is necessarily accomplishing our objective of ending international terrorism.
Source: Campaign website, www.stephenpagliuca.com, "Issues"
Oct 1, 2009
