Thread: Rep. Ron Paul (R): US Building Military Bases In Iraq

More of the Same in 2007

By Congressman Ron Paul (R)

12/26/06 "Lew Rockwell" --- - Yesterday, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. In Iraq, however, war rages on with no end in sight.

The midterm congressional elections are over, and the Iraq Study Group report is complete. Many Americans are unhappy about the war and want a change in policy. But what we are going to get from both parties in Washington is more of the same – much more – when it comes to Iraq.

President Bush not only wants to stay the course, he wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq. The “new approach” is simply escalation, with no timetable and still no definition of victory.

In fact, the president promised last week that, “They can’t run us out of the Middle East,” and that we will not retreat from Iraq. Worse, he asserted that America will, “Stay in the fight for a long period of time.” According to the President, we must increase the size of our Army and Marine Corps to provide the bodies to make this possible.

In other words, our troops will stay in Iraq indefinitely. Remember, we are building several huge, permanent military bases there, along with the biggest embassy in the world to serve as the command post for our occupation. The embassy compound alone will cost more than one billion dollars.

This doesn’t sound like the “new generation” warfare envisioned by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but more like old-fashioned occupation – which requires hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the ground in Iraq. Once again, more of the same.

The Pentagon, not surprisingly, has requested an additional $100 billion to keep the war going. This money will not be included in the annual budget or deficit numbers, but will be whitewashed as an “off-budget” expenditure.

If all this were not enough, the president has ordered aircraft carrier groups to position themselves in the Persian Gulf in a new show of bellicosity toward Iran.

Anyone who voted for Democrats last month expecting a change in our Iraq policy was sorely mistaken. Incoming congressional leaders have publicly stated their support for increasing troop levels, and Democrats have no intention of pursuing any serious withdrawal plan in Congress. They will not withhold war funding. The war will plod on, and Democrats will call for more of the same.

In Washington, the answer to every problem is always more of the same. If a war is not successful, escalate it – or even start another one. This is our only policy in Iraq, where we don’t even know whom the enemy really is. Can one in ten Americans even distinguish between Sunni, Shia, and Kurds? Unless we rethink our senseless policy of endless occupation, regime change, and nation building in the Middle East, we must expect more of the same: More troops injured or killed, more spending, more debt, more taxes, more militarism, and especially more government.

Merry Christmas to all, and please share my wishes for peace on earth and goodwill toward men in 2007.

December 26, 2006

Dr. Ron Paul is a Republican member of Congress from Texas.

More of the Same in 2007

At the risk of being labeled a whacko conspiracy theorist, GEE I wonder who will get the contracts for the building that falls outside the perview of the military as well as food services etc. Who, could it be????

Ron Paul has spoken truth to power before and it is good to see that he still cares. I also like his stance on the second amendment.

Originally Posted by michaelr

Ron Paul has spoken truth to power before and it is good to see that he still cares. I also like his stance on the second amendment.

Ron Paul is just about the last remaining American serving in the Congress.

Originally Posted by xoplytnyk

Ron Paul is just about the last remaining American serving in the Congress.

Hes one of the last politicians that actually gives a damn about the constitution, bill of rights, and the overall state of our republic. There are others though. Hes not alone.

We still have troops in Korea, Vietnam, and many other places we have battled in the past. Since we have established bases in Iraq, keeping those bases might be useful down the road. We've got ourselves into this...might as well gain some assets.

Originally Posted by efriese

We still have troops in Korea, Vietnam, and many other places we have battled in the past. Since we have established bases in Iraq, keeping those bases might be useful down the road. We've got ourselves into this...might as well gain some assets.

The vast majority of Iraqis dont want US bases in their country. It is their country, not ours. See..

Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout, Polls Show

Leaders' Views Out of Step With Public


By Amit R. Paley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 27, 2006; Page A22


BAGHDAD, Sept. 26 -- A strong majority of Iraqis want U.S.-led military forces to immediately withdraw from the country, saying their swift departure would make Iraq more secure and decrease sectarian violence, according to new polls by the State Department and independent researchers.

Another new poll, scheduled to be released on Wednesday by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, found that 71 percent of Iraqis questioned want the Iraqi government to ask foreign forces to depart within a year. By large margins, though, Iraqis believed that the U.S. government would refuse the request, with 77 percent of those polled saying the United States intends keep permanent military bases in the country.


Most Iraqis Favor Immediate U.S. Pullout, Polls Show - washingtonpost.com


The US has over 700 military bases in over 300 countries where it just so happens to be the most oil rich areas of the world. For all of the endless talk by this administration about our support for democracy, they dont tell us that the new bases are being opened in some of the most autocratic or -- military dictatorships that exist around the world, whereas they're actually withdrawing troops from two of the genuine democracies that did not join the coalition of the consenting, so called, namely South Korea and Germany.

Iraq poll: U.S. troops departure is asset

BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- About 90 percent of Iraqis feel the situation in the country was better before the U.S.-led invasion than it is today, according to a new ICRSS poll.

United Press International - Intl. Intelligence - Iraq poll: U.S. troops departure is asset