Iowa Republican Rep. Leach Questions Iraq Policy

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20031104/pl_nm/iraq_usa_leach_dc&cid=615&ncid=1473

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Iowa Republican Rep. Jim Leach, once an aide to now-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said on Tuesday White House policy-makers had made one of the most misguided assumptions ever in U.S. strategy by not planning for a decisive withdrawal from Iraq.


"The current (administration) thinking is that we'll be there six or seven years, people will realize that we're saviors and they'll want us to have many (military) bases and that this will be a bulwark in the Middle East for an American presence," said Leach, a 13-term House of Representatives veteran.

"I think that is one of the most misguided assumptions in the history of United States' strategic thinking," he added.

In a conference call with Iowa reporters, Leach said his views on Iraq were not the "majority sentiment" inside the White House. He said the administration of President Bush was on a "slow slog" in Iraq, instead of announcing a "decisive" withdrawal of U.S. military forces by the end of next year.

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[Screaming Lord Byron]

1. Good. The dam is breaking. Slowly but surely.

[aquart]

2. Drip, drip, drip.

Can you imagine the noise in his district if he said that?

[Barrett808]

3. Well said

Rep. Leach had better get to work on his blinkered colleagues on both sides of the aisle.

[Bluzmann57]

4. Mr. Leach used to represent this district

in eastern Iowa, but then the boundary lines were redrawn and Nussle was an incumbent so Leach chose to move to Iowa City. Now understand, Iowa City is one of the more progressive cities you will ever find, and Leach won big there last time. He DOES NOT always go along with the party line, as he is a man of conscience and dignity. It is good to see that he hasn't changed much. He still believes in representing the people who elected him, rather than the special interests. What a novel concept!

[bobbieinok]

5. When I lived in Story Co IA

Leach seemed to be a decent republican.

[MissMarple]

7. Sounds like a good midwestern kind of guy. What happened to Kansas?

Is it just too close to Oklahoma?

[LiberalTexan]

19. Yo!

Kansas ain't all bad--- they picked up a DEMOCRAT for a governor in 2002. :)

[FlashHarry]

11. I lived in IC for twelve years.

You bet it's progressive. Jim Leach has always been a maverick Republican. He's a basically good guy. However, I feel he may be one of a dying breed.

[yellowdog]

17. Leach voted against the war in the first place.

He usually votes our way on things important to liberals and is very good on the environment. Damn, and I am stuck with Nussle!

[CMT]

6. Leach by all rights should be a Democrat

given his overall record which is closer to Jim Jeffords than George W. Bush.

[0007]

8. Slowly but surely!

Who can doubt it??

[barbaraann]

9. This is now one of the top-rated stories on Yahoo!

It was #1 for a while, now it's #6.

[librechik]

10. Richard Perle had a decisive answer to this when it was first raised

months ago. He said, "Of course we don't have an exit strategy. We are not ever going to leave Iraq!"


so that's why there isn't an exit strategy. Apparently there is no plan to ever leave the white House either.

[MissMarple]

14. Just inquiring, do you have a source or a trail for that.?

That would be a good piece of information to pin down.

[librechik]

16. it was in a televised interview earlier this year

I saw it, but can't source it exactly--I'll try to pin it down

[enki23]

12. even leach is waking up?

what's up. is iowa going liberal? does he fear for his seat?
i want to go back. i'm still a resident. and damn it, i'm voting.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

13. Jim Leach supports his party about half the time!

He was a strong opponent of this war and was a critic of Reagan's involvement in Central/South America!

His is not a Republican by today's standards!

[moondust]

15. Leach voted against IWR.

Considered the most liberal Repub in the House.

This may have something to do with the fact that the Chinook pilot that went down Sunday was from Leach's district. Pilot was killed. Four of the wounded also from Iowa, at least one from Leach's district.

[leesa]

18. So then why did he buy it hook, line and sinker??

The rats are getting nervous!