FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Thursday, May 24, 2007
CONTACT: Yoni Cohen, (202) 225-3202

WASHINGTON, DC – Representative Pete Stark (CA-13) issued the following
statement on the Iraq spending bill:

"Decades ago, I ran for Congress because I opposed the War in Vietnam.
After arriving in Washington, I carried out the will of my constituents,
repeatedly voting to stop funding the death of American troops and
Vietnamese civilians.

"More than four years ago, I voted against the original resolution
authorizing the President to take unprecedented preemptive military
action against Iraq. In the years since, I have consistently opposed the
President at every turn, always voting to deny him the funding he
requested to continue his failed War in Iraq.

"Last November, the American people delivered a loud and clear message
to their representatives in Washington. In electing a Democratic House
and Senate, the public demanded a new direction in Iraq.

"Today, however, we’re staying the course.

"The supplemental before us includes no deadlines for troop withdrawal
and no enforceable benchmarks for holding President Bush accountable.

"In other words, there is no way I – or the overwhelming majority of my
constituents – would ever support it.

"We can’t go on like this, killing our troops and Iraqi civilians – and
wasting tens of billions that would be better spent on vital domestic
priorities like education and health care.

"You know who supports this bill? President Bush and Republicans in
Congress who refuse to acknowledge either the Shiite-Sunni civil war or
our lack of progress in Iraq.

"I strongly urge my colleagues to remember who sent them to Washington.
It wasn’t President Bush; it was America’s voters. They’ve made their
opposition to this war clear. It’s time for Congress to do the same."