As Coleman Heads to Iraq, His Silence on the War is Deafening

08/29/2007

Amid Growing Republican Calls for Troop Draw-Down, DFL Party Asks Where Coleman Stands


St. Paul, MN (August 28, 2007) As Senator Norm Coleman travels to Iraq this week following a month of silence on the war — and as Virginia Senator John Warner becomes the latest senior Republican to question President Bush’s failed war strategy — the DFL Party asked whether Senator Coleman will finally heed the will of Minnesotans and abandon the president’s failed war strategy in Iraq.

“As more of his Republican colleagues come forward to demand a draw-down of troops in Iraq, and as political conditions in Iraq keep degrading, where does Coleman stand on the war now? His silence since July on the war has been deafening,” said Minnesota DFL Chair Brian Melendez.

“Minnesotans deserve a senator in Washington who leads, not one who follows. As Senator Coleman visits Iraq this week, we ask him to put aside politics and his unswerving loyalty to President Bush, and give us an honest assessment of this failed war strategy. Minnesotans need to know if their senator will form his own opinion, or if he will keep carrying the president’s water no matter what.”

As Coleman Visits Iraq, Minnesotans Still Waiting for Change in Course:

Coleman Heads to Iraq This Week to Assess Situation. “Coleman also announced at this morning’s meeting that he is on his way to Iraq on Thursday to visit with American military and political officials and the troops in advance of a report next month from President Bush laying out military and political progress in Iraq…Coleman’s upcoming Iraq visit and the September report will go a long way toward determining whether he continues to support the surge, he said.” [St. Cloud Times, 8/28/07]

Coleman Refuses to Take Action to Change Course in Iraq. In July, Senator Norm Coleman voted for the fifth time against a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. [Vote #252, 7/18/07; Vote #147, 4/26/07; Vote #126, 3/29/07, Vote #116, 3/27/07;, Vote #75, 3/15/07; NPR, 7/17/07]

In July, Coleman said U.S. Will Be in Iraq for a “Long-Time.” “Minnesota's Republican U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman said Thursday the United States will have a long-term presence in Iraq but may see a change of mission. ‘We are going to be in Iraq a long time. I am not supporting dates, specific dates, timetables for withdrawal,’ he said…Those who say U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by September are ‘missing reality,’ he said.” [Pioneer Press, 7/14/07]

Republicans Begin to Question Bush’s War Strategy. “Former Senate Foreign Relations chairman Dick Lugar, R-Ind., recently sent shock waves through that august body by calling for a reduced U.S. presence in Iraq. And on Thursday, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said U.S. forces should start leaving by Christmas.” [Charlotte Observer, 8/27/07]

President Bush Continues to Defend Failed War Strategy. In a speech to the annual American Legion convention in Reno, “Broadening his defense of the war in Iraq, President Bush said Tuesday that withdrawing U.S. forces would allow the Middle East to be taken over by extremist forces and put the security of the United States in jeopardy. [Washington Post, 8/28/07]

Coleman Said “Whatever the Future Brings, We Must Stand With This President.” In September 2004, Coleman praised President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and said, “Whatever the future brings, we must stand with this president.” [Star Tribune, 9/22/04]