O’Neill
Announces Support for ‘Responsible Plan’ to Bring an End to the War in Iraq
‘It’s time to bring our soldiers
home and reinvest in America,’
he says as U.S.
death toll reaches 4,000
CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio (March 24, 2008) –
Democratic congressional candidate Bill O’Neill criticized Congress and
President Bush for the indefinite continuation of the war in Iraq, as he announced his support of a House
challenger plan that would lead our nation out of the war, and called on the
Congress to reinvest in America.
The
“Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq”
(www.responsibleplan.com) was authored by former military leaders, including the former commanding
general who oversaw the security transition in Iraq from 2003 to 2004, and several
congressional challengers. This comes on the heels of the news that the 4,000th
American soldier had been killed in Iraq this weekend.
“Our
troops were sent in to get rid of Saddam Hussein, and they achieved that goal,”
O’Neill said. “They were not sent there to occupy the country indefinitely. Now
our leaders in Washington
are failing them and us in allowing the war to carry on with little to no
accountability and absolutely no end in sight.”
O’Neill,
whose son Shawn served multiple tours in Iraq,
earned the Bronze Star in Vietnam
and retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel in 2001. He was inducted
into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in November.
“We are
reaching milestones that should serve only as a grim reminder of how our
leaders have lost their way: 4,000 American lives lost; nearly 30,000 injured;
and 60,000 prevented from coming home as scheduled due to the shortsighted
stop-loss policies of their leaders in Washington,” he said.
“This
Congress is spending $10 billion a month in Iraq – for a total, so far, of $1.3
billion from the 14th congressional district alone. We need a Congress that
will spend these funds at home, where we can use them to invest in jobs or make
health care more affordable. We have too many important needs being unmet here
in America to spend so much
money on Iraq,
especially when it is not making us any safer at home.
“What’s
worse is our sacrifices are not being matched by the efforts of the Iraqi
government. While our troops have gone a long way in reducing violence in Iraq, and our
taxpayers have paid thousands of dollars each to help rebuild their country,
Iraqi leaders have not held up their end of the bargain with meaningful
political progress. Instead the Iraq
government is sitting on a ‘massive budget surplus,’ according to reports.”
O’Neill
is the first congressional candidate from Ohio
to embrace the plan authored by Major Gen. Paul Eaton (ret.), who served as the
Security Transition Commanding General in Iraq, and other former military
leaders. But he stressed that our nation cannot afford to wait for him and the
other challengers to get to Congress.
“This war
has become not just unsustainable, it has become dangerous – compromising our
military’s readiness and the struggling American economy. It’s time to come
home,” he said. “Congress must lead in bringing the war to an end, and start
focusing on creating jobs, providing health care and rebuilding our country’s
roads, bridges, and communities. Our message is simple, and it’s one that I
believe the vast majority of Northeast Ohioans share: It is time to put America first.”
# # #