Posted on 03/28/2006 7:42:50 AM PST by CedarDave
WASHINGTON— Sen. Jeff Bingaman voted against the war in Iraq three years ago and after visiting the war-torn country late last week, he said he stands firmly behind his vote.
The New Mexico Democrat— who traveled to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq with five other senators before returning to Washington on Saturday— said that Iraq is more dangerous than before the 2003 invasion. And there is no end in sight to U.S. involvement, he said.
"I think it was the right (vote)," Bingaman said Monday in an interview. "Iraq was not related to terrorist threats. We were not justified in going in there. The cost in lives and resources has been enormous and is going to be much greater."
Bingaman will discuss his visit to Iraq during a White House meeting with President Bush today.
The senator said the inability of feuding political factions in Iraq to agree on a government is worrisome. "It's very much an unknown at this point as to how quickly that can be done," Bingaman said, adding that the absence of a government is stifling the country's economic progress.
Unlike some of his Democratic colleagues, Bingaman declined to suggest a time frame for U.S. troop withdrawal. He said Bush's assertion last week that troops would remain in Iraq at least through 2008 was realistic.
The senator said he met with with U.S. troops, including some from Roswell, and saw high morale. "They felt they were doing important work— that was the message I picked up," he said.
Asked if he saw any positive developments on the ground in Iraq, Bingaman said military leaders reported great progress in training Iraqi soldiers. "They felt they are making major progress in training Iraqis to take over some of those military responsibilities," Bingaman said.
(Excerpt) Read more at abqjournal.com ...
Apparently he didn't get the message about the Saddam docs.. really makes him look more of a fool than he normally does..
Well, he may have opposed the invasion, but it at least sounds like he's listening to the troops and being reasonable about his opposition. Will the Dems throw him out for not being a barking moonbat?
}:-)4
I wonder how many trips to the region he made *before* 2003?
BingO-man is an idiot
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