Support Grows for Darcy Burner Iraq Plan
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Sandeep Kaushik, (425) 443-2564
Support Grows for Darcy Burner Iraq Plan
Bellevue, WA (March 20) - Twenty-five candidates from across the country have now signed on to "A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq," a comprehensive blueprint for congressional action to end the war and prevent the recurrence of a similar foreign policy error in the future, with more candidates endorsing the document daily.
Burner drafted the plan over the last six months in consultation with leading retired generals and national security experts. Ten candidates, led by Burner, participated in the crafting of the document, which was unveiled on Monday in Washington, D.C.
In less than 72 hours, another 15 candidates have joined the effort, including three U.S. Senate candidates. Both Democratic U.S. Senate candidates in Oregon have endorsed the plan, while the Republican incumbent there, Senator Gordon Smith, has said that he agrees with much of what the plan contained.
Leading national security experts have also praised the plan. Most recently, Rand Beers, a counterterrorism expert who served on the National Security Council under Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and the current president, said, "The Democratic challengers that produced this responsible plan to end the war in Iraq prove that Democrats can successfully and responsibly discuss national security issues of the first order, and discuss them in ways that represent real solutions to the real problems that we face."
The plan was written with the input of General Paul Eaton (ret.), General John Johns (ret.), Navy Captain Larry Seaquist (ret.), a former battleship commander and Pentagon strategist, and Dr. Lawrence Korb, a former Assistant Secretary of Defense under Ronald Reagan.
Burner said she has been gratified by the overwhelmingly positive response.
"Five years ago, in January of 2003, my son Henry was born. Like every excited new parent I dreamed of making the best possible life for him. Two months later, my brother marched into Iraq with the 101st Airborne in the first wave of the invasion," Burner said.
"It was those two events that together put me on the path to running for Congress. As long as this war continues, we will not be able to create the kind of world that Henry and other children deserve. We will not be able to make significant progress on the growing list of challenges that our nation faces, from the rapidly weakening economy, to making health care affordable, to improving our schools and replacing our worn infrastructure.
"Just yesterday we passed the five-year mark since this war began. It has cost well over $500 billion so far with no end in sight. Taxpayers in the 8th congressional district have paid more than $1.5 billion for the war. Meanwhile, we lack the funds to replace the 520 bridge. And in a few days or weeks, we will hit another grim milestone: 4,000 American casualties in Iraq. It is past time for this war to be brought to a responsible close."
The full plan is available at http://www.darcyburner.com/
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