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Other Foreign Policy Efforts
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Photos From
Leahy's Visit To Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan
May 2009
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In 2002, Senator Leahy voted against the
resolution authorizing the use of military force against Iraq, and
since then has continued to be a vocal opponent of the war. He has
been outspoken in his denunciation of the exaggerated and misleading
statements of the Bush Administration which led us there and
thousands of Vermonters have contacted him voicing support for this
opposition. The Senator believed then, as he does now, that
the conflict in Iraq has led us away from what should be our focus;
the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and
Pakistan, who were responsible for the September 11th terrorist
attacks and who continue to pose a risk to the safety of
Americans.
Although former President Bush led us into this
war under false pretenses and without a viable exit strategy,
Senator Leahy still feels not only great hope for the freedom the
Iraqi people have achieved in coming out from under the yoke of
Saddam Hussein's rule, but also a responsibility to help the Iraqi
people achieve political, economic, and social stability. He
believes that it is now time to turn over responsibility for
security in Iraq to the Iraqi people. The Senator supports
President Obama in his mission to redeploy U.S. combat troops with
the goal of withdrawing all U.S. combat brigades by August 31st,
2010, and removing all American military advisors by the end of
2011.
His opposition to this war does not take
away from his admiration and thanks for the dedication and
bravery of our troops who have served and are currently
serving there. Over 4,500 Americans have been killed
and almost ten times that many wounded - the impact of this
war has touched hundreds of thousands of American families,
especially in Vermont since our state has seen more
casualties per capita than any other.
Senator Leahy also
believes that we have a responsibility to care for those
whose lives have been harmed in Iraq. Over the course
of this conflict thousands of Iraqi men, women, and children
have been killed, wounded, or left hungry and homeless.
He has worked to help innocent victims of war for over 20
years with the Leahy War Victims Fund, and he created
special funds for both Afghanistan and Iraq to assist
innocent victims of the military operations.
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