Before the War, Fallon Took Lead Against Invading Iraq

Written by: Tegan R on Jun 2, 2008 11:36 AM EDT

Linked to campaigns: Ed Fallon for Congress

(Press Release from Ed Fallon for Congress website.)

Friday, May 30, 2008 (4:30 PM CDT) – Today, Ed Fallon reiterated that the war in Iraq is one of the main reasons he decided to challenge Congressman Boswell. Boswell voted for the war and continued to vote to fund it until last year.  Fallon said, “Congressman Boswell says in his mailers that he’s standing up to George Bush to end the war. But where was he most of the past five years?”

In stark contrast, while serving as a State Representative in 2003, Ed Fallon authored HR 17 to encourage the President not to initiate a preemptive, unilateral military strike against Iraq.   Fallon was joined by 20 other Democrats who co-sponsored the resolution.

Fallon claimed he had it right, stating in HR 17 that the war would:

·         Undermine our efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice. Bin Laden remains at large.

·         Destabilize the region. Iran has only grown in influence as a result of the war.

·         Turn into a humanitarian disaster. Iraqi civilians have suffered greatly throughout the war.

·         Lead to a long-term military presence in Iraq. U.S. troops have now been in Iraq longer than they were engaged in WWII.

·         Cause America to bear most of the financial cost of the war, which we have.

·         Cost between $100 billion and $1 trillion, and we are now almost at a trillion dollars.

·         Cost us $15-$20 billion per year. That was a conservative estimate: the actual cost is about $12 billion a month, or $144 billion a year. 

·         Cause deeper federal budget deficits, further weakening the economy and undermining of the long-term prospects for solvency the Social Security and Medicare systems.  

Fallon says, “Those who voted for this war had it wrong on so many levels.  They were duped by President Bush’s propaganda machine and failed to understand how the war would cripple our economy, leave thousands dead or injured, and polarize our nation. Congress needs leaders who are able to think critically before similar mistakes are made in the future.”

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