Olson Comments on Five-Year Anniversary of Iraq War Resolution

Olson Comments on Five-Year Anniversary of Iraq War Resolution

For Immediate Release

ANOKA – Bob Olson, a DFL candidate in the 6th Congressional District, released the following statement regarding the five-year anniversary of the vote to authorize the Iraq War:

"Five years ago this week, in the middle of a hard-fought midterm election campaign, Americans witnessed Congress effectively hand President Bush a blank check to wage war against Iraq.

"I opposed this from the beginning. While Saddam Hussein was a ruthless dictator, he was not an imminent threat to American security and launching a war against his regime diverted our attention away from Osama bin Laden, whose organization murdered nearly 3,000 Americans on Sept. 11, 2001.

"As of Wednesday night, 3,820 American troops have paid with their lives for a tragically flawed policy. While people of good conscience disagreed on the right course of action five years ago, I think we can all recognize today that it's time for a new direction -- one in which Iraqis stand up and take ownership of their country and American troops are redeployed out of a religious civil war.

"Our military has toppled a dictator, verified that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction and paved the way for Iraqi democracy. Now it's time for Congress and the president to come together and give our troops the exit plan they have long-since earned."

The Iraq War Resolution passed in the House on Oct. 10, 2002, and in the Senate the following day.

Minnesota Sens. Mark Dayton and Paul Wellstone opposed the measure, as did Minnesota Reps. Betty McCollum, Jim Oberstar and Martin Sabo.

More information is available at www.bobolson.org.

In my humble opinion as a Veteran, Elwyn Tinklenberg has zero credibility on Iraq.