Maine Today - "Cote, Strimling, Pingree on 4,000th death"

News Article

Three of the Democrats running for the 1st Congressional District put out statements Monday about the news that at least 4,000 Americans have died in Iraq since the war began.

All were sent out before news broke that another Maine soldier has died.

Here's what Adam Cote of Portland had to say:

"As the death toll in Iraq has reached 4,000, I want to express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones, family members, and friends to the war in Iraq. The continuing war in Iraq is a deeply personal issue for me - I spent a year of my life there; I lost friends to the violence there and I treated people who died out there. My heart goes out to all of those directly affected by the continuing conflict.

My experience serving in Iraq is one of the primary reasons I decided to run for Congress. As only the second Iraq War veteran in Congress, I will do everything in my power as your representative to help develop a responsible plan that brings American troops home safely - and not have to return."

Here's part of what Chellie Pingree of North Haven had to say (she wrote a lengthy blog on the topic):

"When I ran for the US Senate in 2002 opposing the war was an easy decision for me, but not an easy thing to do. Politically, it would have been easier to go along with the sentiment at the time. But it wouldn't have been the right thing to do.

But a headline like the one in the paper this morning reminds us all that the real story is the story of each of those 4,000 men and women who have lost their lives--22 of them from Maine - and their families. The real story is about the 30,000 veterans who have come home seriously wounded and their families. The real story is about the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died and the millions who have been forced out of their homes.

There is hardly a day that goes by that I don't think about the war and all of the costs it carries--but I think this is an especially thoughtful day as we all take time to reflect on what it means for the thousands of families whose lives will never be the same because of what they've lost."

And this is from Sen. Ethan Strimling, D-Portland (also edited for length):

"The only ‘shock and awe' this war has produced is the devastating economic and human cost. Who could have imagined five years ago that the Iraq war would last longer than our involvement in World War II and lead to the loss of so many American lives, including more than 20 soldiers from Maine, and the death and displacement of millions of Iraqis?

Staying in Iraq will only mean a worsening economy here at home. Staying in Iraq will only undermine our national security by empowering our enemies. Staying in Iraq only lead to a higher death toll than today's grim statistic.

Congress has failed the American people for not putting a stop to Bush and Cheney's war. I'm running for Congress to end this war now and get our economy back on its feet."

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