Thursday, January 05, 2006

Ford Advocates Gradual Withdrawal of Troops From Iraq

U.S. Senate hopeful Harold Ford Jr. advocated a gradual troop withdrawal in Iraq during talks to Sullivan County high school students and a civic club Wednesday.

The Memphis Democrat representing Tennessee's 9th Congressional District spoke to Sullivan South juniors and seniors, to Sullivan North government and Naval JROTC classes, as well as to members of the Kingsport Rotary Club.

Ford told South students that he is leaving for his fourth trip to check out conditions in Iraq.

"One of the things we noticed on our last trip was that as much as the news media here in America reports that little progress is being made, the fact is some progress is being made in Iraq," he said. "Many of the Iraqi people want a different way of life. They covet and really desire the kind of freedom that you and I have. ... The problem we face in Iraq is that we can't figure out how to stop all of the violence and stop all of the insurgents. It's my hope that in the coming months, we will find a way as the U.S. military to begin to withdraw a bit of our presence, not to leave, but to reduce our presence and allow the Iraqis to begin to govern themselves more and make more decisions about their future."

He told South students that Iraq, dealing with terrorism and spreading democracy will be the central foreign policy challenges for his and their generations.

"The progress being made on the ground in Iraq, as much as I may disagree with the president in a lot of ways, is needed. In a lot of ways, it will make our country more secure and make America safer," Ford said.

Ford also acknowledged that pre-Iraq War intelligence suggesting deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction was not altogether factual.

"In fairness to President Bush, I think he believed they had weapons of mass destruction," said Ford. "I believe President Clinton believed they had weapons of mass destruction. And when President Bush asked Congress for support to use force in Iraq, I along with more than 270 of my colleagues agreed with him. We turned out all to be wrong. ... The question now is how you fix it ... and bring war to an end honestly."

Ford indicated he was opposed to Bush's domestic spying directive given to the National Security Agency after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Still, he described Bush as a "personal friend."

"For the president to say that he needed this authority and had to eavesdrop on his people without checking with the courts just doesn't hold up when the facts are applied to it," Ford told South students. "Most legal scholars will tell you that you're heading down a real bad slope when you allow one person, the president, to sidestep the judicial branch and sidestep Congress."

He also encouraged South students to take more math and science classes and learn more foreign languages.

"China and India graduated five times more engineers and scientists than we did last year," Ford told Rotarians. "To add insult to injury, they graduated more English-speaking engineers and scientists than we did last year."

At South and during the civic club talk, Ford also took the Bush-led government to task for running up an $8 trillion debt.

"The president last time I checked is a Republican," Ford said. "The Senate is run by Republicans. The House is run by Republicans. And yet, government is bigger than it has ever been. Taxes on middle-class people are higher than they have ever been."

Ford is the Democratic front-runner expected to face state Sen. Rosalind Kurita of Clarksville in the August primary. Three high-profile Republicans - former congressmen Van Hilleary and Ed Bryant and former Chattanooga Mayor Bob Corker - are competing for the GOP nomination. All are seeking the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

Ford's campaign says it finished 2005 by raising more than $4.25 million, moving toward a goal of raising $12 million.

Ford recently named Pete Brodnitz of New York-based Benenson Strategy Group as his campaign pollster. Brodnitz most recently worked on the successful campaign of Virginia Gov.-elect Tim Kaine, and his clients have included U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va.

"Tim Kaine ran one of the best campaigns in the last few years for governor," Ford said during a morning stop at Hardee's on Fort Henry Drive. "His pollster has been a friend for a few years, not a personal, social friend, but a political friend. I was impressed with how they ran their campaign."

Ford said he knows the Tennessee Republican Party will include mentions about his powerful Memphis political family in their attacks.

"There's nothing that can be said to bring any distance between my dad (former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr.) and I, and my uncles and I, or my aunts and I," Harold Ford Jr. said. "I have 91 first cousins. ... As much as my opponents may wish that someone else was, it's me that's running. It's the vision I have for the state and country that I will put before the voters. ... My opponents will try to paint me as some liberal. The problem is I'm pro-family, I'm pro-business, I'm pro-gun, I'm pro-tax cut for middle-class families. ... Every time they attack, we will respond in due course, but I'm not going to answer any more questions about my family. I love

them, and that's it."

Source: Times News

Update: TeamGOP continues their lies about Harold Ford Jr.

The truth of the matter is, Congressman Ford is not calling for an immeditate withdrawl as TeamGOP states. Ford has never said that and has even voted against an immediate withdrawl in Congress.

Congressman Ford's record of service to our men and women in uniform is second to none. He has brought home over 5 trillion dollars to the military, defense, homeland security and intelligence programs since 9/11.

Why can't TeamGOP just tell the truth?

Related Topics
  • Read Congressman Ford's plan for progress in Iraq here!
  • Read Congressman Ford's op-ed on the war in Iraq here!
  • Read Congressman Ford's letter to President Bush regarding the war in Iraq from June 2005 here!