Issue Position: Iraq

Statement

You cannot defeat beliefs with bullets. What we have in Iraq and in the Middle East are beliefs that are different from ours. This conflict can only be won by understanding and through changes, which God would put in people's hearts, and not through bullets. Because of this, one of the first Congressional caucuses I joined upon taking office was the Out of Iraq Caucus.

I believe the original mission in Iraq has been accomplished. Saddam Hussein and his government were removed from power and the mission was proclaimed accomplished over six years ago. The best way to keep our troops safe is to bring them out of the line of fire and away from the occupation in Iraq. That is why I supported a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq so that our troops, many of whom have served multiple tours in Iraq, can return home to their families and voted to express disapproval with sending 20,000 more troops to Iraq in 2007.

In May 2009, I was one of a 62 Representatives to vote against the War Supplemental bill for Iraq and Afghanistan that came before the House. This was a very difficult decision, and I might not have voted this way had Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-03) been able to include his amendment requiring the Secretary of Defense to produce an exit strategy for Afghanistan before the end of the year. On my recent trip to the Middle East, I was shocked by the state of Afghanistan, and the breadth of problems our military faces there. The war supplemental bill called for an increase in funds for reconstruction, but I can attest that there's hardly anything to reconstruct because there is almost no infrastructure in place. I personally don't believe that the United States, during the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression, should be funding a full-blown nation-building effort half the world away when we need the same schools, hospitals and roads in Memphis, Tennessee, as well as hundreds of other urban centers across the country. Afghanistan is recognized as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and much of what we're spending there ends up in individuals' pockets and doesn't aid the Afghan people. The main argument for the war there is the threat of Taliban taking over Pakistan and gaining access to their nuclear arsenal. While this is indeed a concern, I don't believe that Pakistan is in imminent danger. If the situation becomes more perilous, I believe that the Pakistanis would ask the United States to come to their aid with troops and resources, but I don't expect that to happen.

In February 2009, I was able to participate in a Congressional Delegation fact-finding mission (CODEL) to Iraq, Afghanistan, Bahrain and Kuwait, where I had the opportunity to visit with the troops, military commanders and government officials. This was my second trip to Iraq, and I was glad to take the opportunity to observe what is happening on the ground in the two American warzones. It was reassuring that I could see a lot of progress since my last visit to Iraq in 2007.

In October 2007, I was able to take part in a bi-partisan Congressional fact-finding mission to Iraq which also included briefings in Qatar and Jordan and visits to the American wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. On my trip, I met several of our dedicated soldiers in Iraq, including many from Tennessee. They are doing an amazing job under the very harsh circumstances in which they have been placed. They told me of their need to be redeployed every 12 months -- not every 15 months as they currently are -- because the pressure is wearing on them and wearing on their personal lives. Seeing the fresh faces of the young men and women, living each day in harm's way, was heartrending.

My Congressional colleagues and I met with U.S. General David Petraeus, Iraq War Commander, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. I was taken by surprise when Prime Minister Maliki indicated that the sectarian war that has ravaged his country is now over. I wasn't impressed by his remark and I reminded him of the images Americans still see every night -- images of continued destruction of cities and hamlets throughout Iraq and deaths of innocent Iraqis and heroic young American men and women. The involvement of America in the internal affairs of Iraq must cease, and I will do everything in my power as your Member of Congress to press for the Iraqis to resolve their own internal differences while pressing for the redeployment of our troops.

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