Chandler's reply to supporting Iraq Pullout

I signed an on-line petition from TrueMajority asking Ben Chandler to support Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. (R-NC) resolution calling for President Bush to come up with a plan by the end of this year to withdraw the troops from Iraq, and for the withdrawal to start no later than October of 2006.

Here is Chandler's reply


Thank you for taking the time to contact me with your concerns about the ongoing conflict in Iraq. I believe that staying in touch with the people of the Sixth District is the most important part of my job. Your thoughts and opinions will enable me to better represent you in our nation's Capitol.

As you may know, the U.S. Coalition Provisional Authority ceded political sovereignty to a transitional Iraqi government on June 28, 2004. On January 31, 2005 Iraqi citizens held their first free elections in over fifty years. Nonetheless, the U.S. maintains a significant military presence in Iraq and retains control of security-related issues.

While I fully support our troops in their efforts to aid Iraq in its transition from Saddam Hussein's regime, I continue to have reservations about the manner in which the U.S. declared war on Iraq. Many of the reasons articulated as a basis for declaring war simply have not been substantiated, most notably Iraq's supposed possession of weapons of mass destruction. However, I fear that pulling out of Iraq prematurely would cause great security problems, civil disputes, power struggles and be unfair to the Iraqi people. In the future, we must take special care to verify the accuracy of information and intelligence used as a basis for war in order to ensure that the United States retains the moral high ground in foreign affairs. Please rest assured that I will continue working from my position on the House International Relations Committee to encourage allies to contribute troops and train new Iraqi security forces. The more troops our allies provide and train, the fewer U.S. troops will remain in harms way.

As always, I value your input and will continue to rely on the advice of Central Kentuckians as I work to bring economic growth and jobs to our communities, fight against the skyrocketing costs of health care, ensure the best possible education for our children, stand up for veterans, and protect Social Security and Medicare.

Thank you again for writing to me, and please feel free to contact me anytime I can be of assistance to you and your family.