July 13, 2003 - Greenwich Times: Fiji RPCV Congressman Chris Shays says: We will find weapons in Iraq
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July 13, 2003 - Greenwich Times: Fiji RPCV Congressman Chris Shays says: We will find weapons in Iraq
Fiji RPCV Congressman Chris Shays says: We will find weapons in Iraq
Caption: RPCV Congressman Chris Shays visiting a school on the West Bank during his visit to the Middle East in April where he was the first member to Congress to cross into Iraq - against the wishes of the US Army and the State Department. On his return to Washington he held hearings with NGO's working in Iraq to determine what impediments there were to providing aid to Iraq more effectively.
Read and comment on this story from the Greenwich Times that Fiji RPCV Congressman Chris Shays says we will find weapons in Iraq. Shays remains one of the most strident supporters of the Iraq war -- despite sharp criticism from some constituents, admissions by the White House that it relied on flawed intelligence, and little evidence so far of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Iraq. Last week, the White House retracted a portion of President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address in which Bush said Iraq had sought to buy nuclear material in Africa. "I am pretty hard-pressed to know how anything can get into the State of the Union address that hasn't been vetted a hundred ways," Shays said.
Despite his support for Bush's Iraq policy, Shays -- a Peace Corps volunteer and conscientious objector during the Vietnam War -- still sees shortcomings in the administration's postwar plan. "One of my criticisms is that the government is reluctant to have members of Congress go to Iraq," said Shays, who in April overcame military and the State Department objections to become the first congressman to enter Iraq since the war began. "I think it is absolutely inexcusable."
Shays also disagreed with a hard-line policy under which Baath Party members are banned from a role in postwar Iraq. They may be the ones who can lead U.S. forces to weapons stockpiles, he said. "We have basically hardened the lines against us without giving them a hope that there is redemption," Shays said. "And I think that has caused part of our problem in terms of security." Read the story at:
Shays: We will find weapons in Iraq*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Shays: We will find weapons in Iraq
By Louis Porter and Matthew Strozier
Staff Writers
July 13, 2003
In February, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays said the country faced a moment of truth in its campaign against Iraq.
"If we go in, we sure as hell had better find that stuff, and if we don't we will be in a lot of trouble," Shays said Feb. 23 at a meeting in Westport.
The "stuff" was chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, and it hasn't been found in Iraq. But Shays, a Bridgeport Republican, is unbowed.
"I believe it exists, I believe we need to find it, and I believe we will find it," he said in a telephone interview Friday from his Washington office.
Shays remains one of the most strident supporters of the Iraq war -- despite sharp criticism from some constituents, admissions by the White House that it relied on flawed intelligence, and little evidence so far of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Iraq.
Last week, the White House retracted a portion of President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address in which Bush said Iraq had sought to buy nuclear material in Africa.
"I am pretty hard-pressed to know how anything can get into the State of the Union address that hasn't been vetted a hundred ways," Shays said.
However it happened, Shays said the discredited intelligence wasn't a primary factor in his decision. As a member of a key national security and intelligence subcommittee, he said he knew well beforehand of the Iraqi threat.
"I had too rich a background to ignore what I learned before," Shays said. "I didn't rely on classified briefings."
Shays said supporting war was virtually unavoidable after sitting through 40 congressional hearings on terrorism -- including more than 20 before Sept. 11, 2001 -- and learning about the Iraqi threat under Saddam Hussein.
"I believe that most of my constituents believe that we did the right thing" in Iraq, Shays said. "I believed that before we went in and I believe that afterward."
Still, there's a vocal anti-war lobby in lower Fairfield County, and it has questions for the congressman. On July 2, Shays met with a group of anti-war activists to discuss his stance.
"They were trying to take us to war based on false evidence, and they succeeded," said Rozanne Gates, a Westport resident who has criticized Shays' war stance. "We all know now that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq."
Democratic Norwalk Com-mon Council member Bill Wrenn, who led an effort to pass an anti-war resolution in the city legislature, is deeply dissatisfied with the invasion.
"I believe by this time with all of the American personnel and all the people looking . . . if there were weapons over there, they should have found them," Wrenn said.
The looming war became a central issue in Shays' successful re-election campaign last fall, according to his opponent, Democrat Stephanie Sanchez of Stamford.
Voters' worries about terrorism allowed them to be convinced a war against Iraq was a war for national security, Sanchez said. "Fear is irrational," she said. "It's pretty apparent now that it was all about regime change and about oil."
Sanchez said she is worried about the precedent the United States set by taking action without broad international support.
"We need the help of our allies; they might not (help) now," Sanchez said. "If we think that pre-emptive unilateral action is the way to go, we have to live with that."
Pre-emptive military action "allows for a lot of mischief," but is a necessary evil to combat terrorism, Shays said. The old Cold War rules of mutually assured destruction and containment are "useless in a war against terrorism," he said.
"We need to set up new rules that allow pre-emption," Shays said.
With his next election race more than a year away, it's unclear how voters will treat Shays' stance on Iraq. Last year, they knew his position and convincingly gave him another term.
Herb Shepardson, chairman of the Connecticut Republican Party, said that will happen again.
"There is no one from either party who can doubt that the world isn't a much safer place without that despot in control," Shepardson said, referring to Saddam Hussein. Shays' position on the war "is only going to enhance his electoral success," Shepardson said.
Despite his support for Bush's Iraq policy, Shays -- a Peace Corps volunteer and conscientious objector during the Vietnam War -- still sees shortcomings in the administration's postwar plan.
"One of my criticisms is that the government is reluctant to have members of Congress go to Iraq," said Shays, who in April overcame military and the State Department objections to become the first congressman to enter Iraq since the war began. "I think it is absolutely inexcusable."
Only when U.S. lawmakers can meet with Iraqi citizens will they understand what is needed in the country, he said. Otherwise, they rely on governmental briefings and news reports.
Shays also disagreed with a hard-line policy under which Baath Party members are banned from a role in postwar Iraq. They may be the ones who can lead U.S. forces to weapons stockpiles, he said.
"We have basically hardened the lines against us without giving them a hope that there is redemption," Shays said. "And I think that has caused part of our problem in terms of security."
Copyright © 2003, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.
April 29, 2003 - Rep. Shays Calls For Rebuilding Iraq Quickly
Caption: RCPV Congressman Chris Shays visiting a school on the West Bank.
Read and comment on this story we posted on April 29, 2003 from NBC30 that RPCV Congressman Chris Shays says that that the military victory there could be "marred" if rebuilding that country is not made a top priority. He recently returned from a trip abroad to Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.
During his trip Shays was the first Congressman to visit Iraq, crossing the border from Kuwait against the wishes of the Army and State Department. "We now have to win the peace in Iraq and that's going to be very difficult," Shays said. "If we fail to bring some stability to that area, then the whole effort will have been marred."
Nongovernment organizations such as Save the Children play a vital role in helping Iraq rebuild, Shays said. He complained during his trip that humanitarian aid wasn't getting to the Iraqi people fast enough. "Rebuilding Iraq is huge and you need to get the NGO's in there," Shays said. "I just think we need to be there and moving more quickly and more open arms to get the NGOs all throughout Iraq. We don't have a lot of time. The Iraqi people need to see they're in charge pretty soon." Read the story at:
Rep. Shays Calls For Rebuilding Iraq Quickly*
* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.
Rep. Shays Calls For Rebuilding Iraq Quickly
Shays Says Iraq Rebuilding, Palestinian-Israel Conflict Urgent
POSTED: 9:07 a.m. EDT April 29, 2003
NORWALK, Conn. -- U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, the first member of Congress to visit war-torn Iraq, said that the military victory there could be "marred" if rebuilding that country is not made a top priority.
Shays, R-Conn., bucked protests from the U.S. military and the State Department and traveled into Iraq on April 16 with a convoy of aid workers from the Westport-based charity Save the Children. He defended his right to see the situation firsthand, and said he was struck by the level of poverty, noting that there was no running water, few buildings and many children in the streets.
"We now have to win the peace in Iraq and that's going to be very difficult," Shays said. "If we fail to bring some stability to that area, then the whole effort will have been marred."
Nongovernment organizations such as Save the Children play a vital role in helping Iraq rebuild, Shays said. He complained during his trip that humanitarian aid wasn't getting to the Iraqi people fast enough.
"Rebuilding Iraq is huge and you need to get the NGO's in there," Shays said. "I just think we need to be there and moving more quickly and more open arms to get the NGOs all throughout Iraq. We don't have a lot of time. The Iraqi people need to see they're in charge pretty soon."
He praised the military for its success in Iraq and pointed out the important role women in the military played in winning the war. He also predicted U.S. forces will find evidence of weapons of mass destruction, but said it may take time. Following his journey into Iraq, Shays joined a congressional delegation that met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas. It was the first high-level meeting between U.S. officials and Arafat since President Bush effectively boycotted him in June. The talks, however, were not sanctioned by the State Department.
Shays said the group also met with other Palestinians, including doctors, lawyers and students.
"Almost every school had a blown out building next to it," Shays said.
Wherever he went in the region, Arabs brought up the conditions that Palestinians live in and urged the United States to be fair in efforts to win a peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, Shays said.
"We have to see major success in our effort between Israel and Palestine," Shays said.
Shays said that he was "somewhat disheartened" to hear reports from independent observers of abuses by Jewish settlers in Hebron. He also questioned Israeli security measures in Ramallah and suggested Israel was engaged in collective punishment. He described himself as a strong supporter of Israel and said that he met with Palestinians after some of his constituents asked if he had spent much time with Palestinians and he said he had not.
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Iraq; COS - Fiji; Congress
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By Terry Adcock Colombia 1961-63 on Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 3:49 am: Edit Post |
Like Chris Matthews, Chris Shays is a complete disappointment as an RPCV. Instead of encouraging our country to work for Peace, here and abroad, both blindly follow those who take a combative approach toward those who would seek Peace.
Sad.
Sorry, Terry; one need not meet your qualifications to be an RPCV.
Neither of them "blindly" follow any philosophy, nor do they take combatative approaches "towards those who would seek peace".
Learn the language. They have a different attitude from yours. So do I. Get over it.
cheers
oz
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By Terry Adcock Colombia 1961-63 on Saturday, July 26, 2003 - 2:14 am: Edit Post |
OZ
If you think either of them exemplify Peace Corps ideals, then I'm as disappointed in you as I am in Chris Matthews and Chris Shays.
Guess we won't be sending each other B'Day cards. Too bad.
