Paul Johnson called for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq by the end of 2005 following Iraqi elections, saying he believes a U.S. contingent should remain in Iraq as part of an international peacekeeping force
Paul Johnson: "The Iraq war was a tragic mistake"
October, 5 2004
In a morning press conference at the Mason City Public Library, Paul Johnson called for a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq by the end of 2005 following Iraqi elections, saying he believes a U.S. contingent should remain in Iraq as part of an international peacekeeping force.
"We should assist Iraq through its upcoming elections and then turn Iraq back over to Iraqis. The Iraq war was a tragic mistake," said Johnson. "The Iraq war has played directly into Al-Qaeda's hands by providing them with a new training camp in which to attack Americans. It has corrupted our image in the Muslim world. It has driven thousands of new recruits into extremist Islamic groups and undermined the support of moderates in the Arab world whose friendship we need.
"The American public was told that we must send troops to Iraq because their alleged weapons of mass destruction posed an imminent threat." said Johnson. "Eighteen months have passed and we still have not found such weapons. Yet today our President says even knowing what we now know, he still would have made the decision to send our troops into war. In other words, even though the pretense for waging a preemptive war was false, it doesn't matter to the current administration.
"We must commit to restoring trust and friendship with the world community. We will not have national security until we do. To begin this journey to normalcy, we must extricate ourselves from Iraq. To accomplish this, America must elect John Kerry as our new commander-in-chief on November 2nd. He is our only hope for bringing in international assistance to help build a stable, democratic Iraq.
"It's time for us to unclench our fists, extend a hand to the world community and get on with not only being the world's strongest nation, but the world's most caring and giving nation as well," said Johnson. "Only then will we have a chance for real, long-term national and world security."
Johnson outlined a broad foreign policy platform that includes:
· Cooperation with the world community toward peaceful resolution of conflicts
· Creation of a Palestinian state
· Normalization of relations with Cuba
· Restored Congressional authority to wage war
· Increased efforts with world community to stabilize Afghanistan
Photo from Paul Johnson Photo Gallery Ames Caribbean Fundraiser
Photo Credit: Tara van Brederode - 08/20/04
