Rep. Bernie Sanders on Iraq

REP. BERNIE SANDERS ON IRAQ
11/22/2005

My hope is that we can begin withdrawing troops soon after the Iraqi elections in December, and that most of our troops will be out of that country in 6 months - a year at the latest. Given that the political leadership in Iraq - Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders - just yesterday collectively called for a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces, and that Iraq's interior minister, Bayan Jabr, said American-led forces should be able to leave Iraq by the end of next year, there is little doubt in my mind that President Bush will finally understand that a timetable for withdrawal is a necessity. If he doesn't, I believe Congress will give him one. It will be very difficult to justify the continued presence of American troops in Iraq if the Iraqi government doesn't want them.

Our troops in Iraq have fought with incredible bravery, and we very much appreciate their service. I am continuously impressed by the courage and determination of the members of the Vermont National Guard. Most of these men and women never expected, when they signed up for the Guard, to find themselves in the middle of a very hot and dangerous war. And, yet, without complaints they have kept commitments and have served with honor and distinction.

One of the issues that I will be spending a great deal of attention on is to make sure that we substantially increase funding for the VA so that the soldiers who return from Iraq and Afghanistan will have the high quality medical service they deserve. Over 15,000 soldiers have been injured during this war, and many more have developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is not acceptable to any American that these soldiers not receive the care they need.

http://bernie.house.gov/documents/document.asp?issueNum=4661