Republican Chuck Hagel Takes On Iraq War
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Republican senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska gave a speech this week critical of the Bush administration’s handling of Iraq:
Trust and confidence in the United States has been seriously eroded. We are seen by many in the Middle East as an obstacle to peace, an aggressor and an occupier. Our policies are a source of significant friction not only in the region but in the wider international community. Our purpose and power are questioned. We are at the same time both a stabilizing and a destabilizing force in the Middle East.
We face the possibility of a much more dangerous and destabilized Middle East, with consequences that would extend far beyond the region’s borders…..
This week the president and vice-president questioned the motives and patriotism of those who criticize their failures. The Bush White House is clearly undertaking a campaign to whitewash the crisis in Iraq. Senator Hagel, considered a possible candidate for the republican nomination for president in 2008, responded with these words:
The Iraq war should not be debated in the United States on a partisan political platform. This debases our country, trivializes the seriousness of war and cheapens the service and sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. War is not a Republican or Democrat issue. The casualties of war are from both parties. The Bush Administration must understand that each American has a right to question our policies in Iraq and should not be demonized for disagreeing with them. Suggesting that to challenge or criticize policy is undermining and hurting our troops is not democracy nor what this country has stood for, for over 200 years. The Democrats have an obligation to challenge in a serious and responsible manner, offering solutions and alternatives to the Administration’s policies.
Vietnam was a national tragedy partly because Members of Congress failed their country, remained silent and lacked the courage to challenge the Administrations in power until it was too late. Some of us who went through that nightmare have an obligation to the 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam to not let that happen again. To question your government is not unpatriotic – to not question your government is unpatriotic. America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices….
Click here to read the full speech.
The initial war and the handling of the aftermath have been criticized by the World Council of Churches and the Vatican. In the United States, the National Council of Churches USA has also been critical of the administration’s policies in Iraq.
Senator Hagel’s words – as a republican leader – underscore that critics of this war come from all political perspectives.
Related Link: Media Matters Press Release on Hagel Speech
Related Post: Religious Leaders Continue To Oppose Iraq War