Domenic Recchia issues statement on 5 years of war in Iraq

Recchia for Congress press release;

DOMENIC RECCHIA STATEMENT ON 5 YEARS OF WAR IN IRAQ

Recchia: “The time to end this war has come. We need to make the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war the last anniversary of the Iraq war.”

Councilman Domenic Recchia, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 13th Congressional District, released the following statement regarding the five year anniversary of war with Iraq:

“Five years ago today, President Bush misled the American public and invaded Iraq without an exit strategy. Vito Fossella’s rubberstamp of President Bush’s failed Iraq war policies has cost our country over a trillion dollars and worse, thousands of lives. It is clear that we need a new direction in Iraq and we need leaders who are going to stand up and fight to end this war. Congressman Fossella has voted to give President Bush a blank check for this misguided war time and time again. I will support a responsible redeployment our troops, force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for the security of their own country, and rebuild our military.

Five years later our country is no safer. Nearly 4,000 American soldiers have been killed and tens of thousands wounded. We have not captured Osama bin Laden 2,381 days after the horrific attacks on our city, and we have spent more than a trillion dollars while our domestic priorities have been put aside.

It is time for the Iraqi government and Iraqi soldiers to stand up and fight for their own country – for too long, American soldiers have been tasked with the impossible mission of refereeing a civil war in Iraq. In these times of economic uncertainty, Americans are feeling the crunch from Main Street to Wall Street. Our resources must be focused on investing here at home—in our schools, in our health care system, in our transit system, in new technology and alternative sources of energy, in creating and keeping jobs here at home.

The time to end this war has come. We need to make the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war the last anniversary of the Iraq war.”

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Taxpayers here in NY-13 have already spent $1.8 billion for the Iraq War to date. For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

* 329,254 People with Health Care OR
* 3,342,657 Homes with Renewable Electricity OR
* 34,459 Public Safety Officers OR
* 27,191 Music and Arts Teachers OR
* 291,353 Scholarships for University Students OR
* 94 New Elementary Schools OR
* 10,149 Affordable Housing Units OR
* 623,904 Children with Health Care OR
* 203,419 Head Start Places for Children OR
* 20,679 Elementary School Teachers OR
* 26,833 Port Container Inspectors