The U.S. officially ended the war in Iraq today “with an understated ceremony in Baghdad” to lower the American flag of command. In a sense, Representative Ron Paul is correct to say that we’re “pretending” to bring all our troops home while putting 17,000 military contractors in Iraq. If the war is well and truly over, I wonder why two-thirds of U.S. senators recently voted against repealing the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002. Senator Tom Harkin supported that effort to repeal the war authorization, while Senator Chuck Grassley opposed it. The proposed amendment to the 2012 defense authorization bill “would have forced the president to return to Congress and seek additional authority to send more troops” to Iraq.
In any event, today is a milestone in the war that began in March 2003. After the jump I’ve posted reaction from some members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation. I will update this post as more comments appear.
Representative Bruce Braley (D, IA-01) statement from December 15 (click here for audio):
“The war in Iraq has finally ended ten years after it began. The costs of this war have been tremendous: nearly 4,500 Americans have been killed and over 32,000 wounded, and tens of thousands of Iraqis have died. For so many Americans directly involved in the war both at home and abroad, its legacy is permanent. That’s especially true for members of the Iowa National Guard, some of whom experienced the longest combat deployment of the war.
“History will judge this war and its lessons. The most important thing we can do right now as Americans is to remember the sacrifices of our veterans and their families and live up to the promises we’ve made to them.”
Representative Dave Loebsack (D, IA-02) statement of December 15:
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today as the United States marked the official end of the Iraq War. Loebsack is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and visited Iraq three times to meet with the troops and be briefed by the commanders on the ground. He has also visited our troops and commanders in Afghanistan six times.
“Over the past eight years, our men and women serving in Iraq have displayed unparalleled bravery and selflessness. As a nation, we must take this time to remember the more than 30,000 troops who were injured in Iraq and the nearly 4,500 who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation. Our servicemembers and military families have made great sacrifices over the last decade and we have a responsibility to serve them with the same dedication and honor with which they have served us. We must ensure that our wounded warriors, including those whose wounds are not visible, receive nothing but the best medical care and support, and that those looking for civilian jobs are able to find them.
“Today however, as we end this chapter in Iraq, it is also time we reexamine our presence in Afghanistan. The situation we face there has changed – we’ve brought justice to Osama bin Laden and now it is time for the Afghan people to take responsibility for their own country. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I know the serious security threats our nation faces from around the globe, but continuing to maintain a large troop presence in Afghanistan does not address those threats. It is time we expedite our exit and bring our troops home. We have done more than enough nation building in Afghanistan, it is time to focus on rebuilding our economy here at home.”
Although Loebsack has talked about withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan before, today’s statement contains strongest language I can remember hearing from him about this issue. Among Iowa’s Congressional delegation, Braley and Harkin have been far more vocal about ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.