Allen and Lawrence on Iraq

Congressional candidate Mark Lawrence and Senatorial candidate Tom Allen have issued statements regarding the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War.

Allen, a Portland Democrat and current U.S. Representative, is calling for safe, responsible troop withdrawal.

His statement: "We are not only marking the 5th anniversary of our invasion of Iraq, we are marking all that is wrong with it. Almost 4,000 American service members, including 30 from Maine, have died. Tens of thousands of American soldiers have been wounded. And we have spent half a trillion dollars, including more than $1.35 billion from Maine.

"If we continue in this direction we will spend at least another half a trillion dollars. Some experts think we will spend $2 trillion. But these monetary costs do not take into account the brave men and women who will lose life or limb in the coming years if we don't bring them home," he added.

"I opposed this ill-conceived war from the beginning and have been working to bring our troops home ever since. It is time to end this war -- now. The only way to change direction in Iraq is for Congress to set a safe, responsible deadline to start bring our troops home."

Lawrence, a South Berwick Democrat and current district attorney, calls the war “a political decision by Congress and the President”, and it needs to end immediately – a stance he’s held since he began his campaign. Congress must de-fund the war, he said, and in removing the troops officials must not leave behind weaponry to fuel a civil war, and engage neighboring countries in a pro-active solution to stabilize Iraq.

Lawrence’s statement: “We need a political declaration that says that the war in Iraq is over. Once that decision has been made, we will be able to withdraw from Iraq as quickly and as safely as possible.

“We have to ask the question: what has been gained from this war, and what can be gained by us staying in Iraq?” This war has severely damaged our ability to effectively fight terrorism, hurt our economy at home, and the best solution for the Iraqi people will come only when it is clear that America has made the decision to end this war.”