Republican Chris Shays Echoes Lamont, Lieberman "Taking a Look" at Shays Plan
Republican Chris Shays Echoes Lamont, Lieberman "Taking a Look" at Shays Plan
(Statewide) - Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate Ned Lamont has been boldly speaking out on the need to change course in Iraq so that America can turn Iraq over to the Iraqi's, our troops can begin to come home, and we can refocus our efforts on winning the war on terror - the real threat to America security. Yesterday, according to newspaper reports, Republican Congressman Chris Shays echoed Lamont's call to set a timetable to withdraw troops.
"I'm pleased that Congressman Shays now understands the importance of changing course and is talking about a timetable to withdraw our troops," said Democratic nominee for Senate Ned Lamont. "The people of Connecticut understand that we can't waste another day on the failed Bush strategy that is forcing our troops to fight in the middle of a civil war, depleting our resources and weakening our security at home. While Congressman Shays is calling for a change in course, I hope he'll join me in fighting for it on behalf of the people of Connecticut."
Recently, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced that his forces would be ready to assume control of most of Iraq's provinces within months.
Yesterday, on his way back from Iraq, Republican Congressman Chris Shays said that a time frame should be set and most of the troops could withdraw by nex year. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401631.html)
Shays explicitly cited Lamont's reasoning for the time-table stating, "My view is that it may be that the only way we are able to encourage some political will on the part of Iraqis is to have a timeline for troop withdrawal "A timeline of when the bulk of heavy lifting is in the hands of the Iraqis."
The Iraq war has depleted America's resources, shortchanged homeland security, emboldened terrorists and distracted us from fighting the real war- the war on terror.
Joe Lieberman has strongly rejected a timetable for withdrawalblindly following George Bush in ignoring the reality of what is happening on the ground in Iraq and continuing to reiterate the Bush/Cheney talking points.
In a debate on June 22nd, Joe Lieberman spoke on the Senate floor against two Democratic proposals to begin the withdrawal of troops"Mr. President I rise to oppose the amendments introduced by the Senator from Michigan and others, and, the other amendment introduced by the Senator from Massachusetts and Wisconsin and others, because they both would direct, in different ways, the withdrawal of American Forces from Iraq without regard to the real conditions on the ground." (http://lieberman.senate.gov/newsroom/release.cfm?id=257662&&)
Just recently, Lieberman repeated Dick Cheney's talking points by saying, "If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them, and they will strike again." (http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30C14FD3D5A0C728DDDA10894DE404482)
Today, minor party candidate Lieberman now says that he'd "take a look" at what Shays' plan.
Lamont concluded, "It is clear that the Iraqi people, the American people and now a bipartisan group in Congress recognize that it's time to bring our brave troops home and let the Iraqi troops step forward. I hope Joe Lieberman will do what is best for the people of Connecticut and across America, and not what is best for George Bush or his 3rd party bid for Senate."
http://nedlamont.com/news/1281/ned-lamont-reiterates-call-to-bring-our-brave-troops-home