Issue Position: International Relations

Issue Position

Issue Position: International Relations

Military Draft

I do not agree that military service, or any other form of public service, should be mandatory. I strongly support public service, but believe it should be on a voluntary basis. Those who are interested in serving their country should consider military service, but there are also other ways to serve through the AmeriCorps or Peace Corps programs.

Since the draft was abolished in the early 1970s, the United States has had an all-volunteer military force, a system that has worked very well. In addition, mandatory military service would likely create enormous costs and produce low morale, significant personnel turnover, and undermine discipline.

Situation in Sudan

I strongly believe that the United States and the international community should take action to stop the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The conflict between the Janjaweed, Sudanese government forces and rebel militias has driven more than 215,000 Darfuri refugees into Chad, displaced 2.5 million persons in Darfur itself and left an estimated 200,000 Darfurians dead. The conflict has had devastating consequences for women and children who make up the vast majority of victims and are the most vulnerable to further violence. Humanitarian operations have also been attacked and disrupted, leaving millions without access to the most basic assistance.

I am deeply troubled that the Sudanese government has undertaken this violent campaign in an organized and systemic manner to cleanse the area of African Muslims. I fully support the actions Congress has taken which would impose sanctions against perpetrators of crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan.

Along with my House colleagues, I called on Amr Moussa, the Arab League Secretary General, to press the Sudanese government to admit UN peacekeepers into Darfur, I supported Congressional resolutions calling on the President to take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur, with a specific emphasis on civilian protection, and I have urged the President to appoint a Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan.

War in Iraq

I am saddened and angered by the daily carnage and destruction that has claimed more than 3,000 American lives and thousands of Iraqi casualties. Our nation continues to pay a very steep price for this war (lives lost, credibility undermined, alliances strained and attention and resources diverted from the war on terrorism), which reinforces my strong and consistent view that President Bush's decision to launch this preemptive war against Iraq was the wrong policy. With this unprecedented attack based on specious reasoning and manipulated intelligence, President Bush has squandered both the global support for America after September 11 and the moral authority to wage war. As a result, our nation is far less safe and secure. To this end, I have voted against both the congressional resolution authorizing President Bush's unnecessary and preemptive war in Iraq, as well as almost all of the requests for supplemental funding of this misguided war.

The ultimate success in Iraq depends in large measure on the people of Iraq. The United States cannot impose democracy or freedom or peace; at present, the United States is unable to impose order or stability in Iraq. It is my fervent hope that the United States will soon end its occupation of Iraq and that our dedicated military personnel can return home at the earliest opportunity. We must close this chapter of our history in which the Bush Administration deceived the American people and failed to combat the legitimate threats to our security.

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