Collins to LA Times on her Position on Iraq: “I feel very comfortable where I am on the issue.”
Are you Serious? Susan Collins to LA Times on her Position on Iraq: "I feel very comfortable where I am on the issue.""I feel very comfortable where I am on the issue," said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who has said she opposes Bush's escalation of troop levels in Iraq. [Los Angeles Times, April 25, 2007]
Washington D.C. - On the same day nine American soldiers were killed in one of the most horrific suicide attacks against American forces in Iraq since the war began, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) told the L.A. Times that she was "very comfortable" with her position on Iraq which includes supporting the President's ongoing war there despite assertions by the President's own military commanders and other experts that the civil war in Iraq can not be resolved militarily.
Collins' most recent statements are the latest in a series of tortured positions she has taken and statements she has made on the war in recent months. In February, Collins voted in favor of a non-binding resolution expressing opposition to the President's plan to escalate the war in Iraq by sending an additional 30,000 troops into the cauldron of a civil war. In March, Collins went the other way and voted against legislation passed in the Senate which would curtail the escalation plan and begin the draw down of troops in Iraq. After that vote, she said that the President should be given more time to see if his plan to escalate the war bears fruit - this after voting against his escalation plan just weeks earlier. Now, in April, Collins says she is "very comfortable" with her position on the war in Iraq - whatever that is.
"Senator Collins may be ‘very comfortable' with her position on Iraq - but that can't be much comfort to her constituents who woke up yesterday to news of one of the deadliest suicide attacks against American forces since the war began," said Brad Woodhouse, President of Americans United for Change which has been running an ad in Maine taking Collins to task for voting against legislation last month to safely wind down the war in Iraq [view the ad here: Tell Susan Collins: Vote to end the war in Iraq]. "Only a politician like Susan Collins could be ‘very comfortable' with a position which has her against the escalation one month, calling for the Bush-McCain escalation to be given more time the next and the next declaring herself comfortable with a position that keeps American forces stuck in the crosshairs of a civil war. If such a meandering, inconsistent and ultimately disastrous position on Iraq - one that supports the President's position of endless war and an endless commitment of American lives and treasure - gives Susan Collins comfort, the people of Maine must wonder what approach would give her pause."
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Senator Susan Collins Says...
Collins says it's crucial to oppose Bush. Collins said, "The war in Iraq is one of the most vital issues facing our country. It is crucial that the Senate go on record opposing the President's plan to send more troops to Iraq." - Senator Susan Collins, 2/1/07 |
Senator Susan Collins Does...
Senator Susan Collins might say one thing, but she clearly does another. Collins has an extensive history of siding with the President when it comes to the war in Iraq. Collins has supported Bush's failed Iraq policy seven times. |
Collins voted against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill. Senator Collins sided with Bush and voted against the emergency supplemental appropriations bill that provided funding for the troops in Iraq as well as a plan for withdrawal. Collins voted nay. [H.R.1591, Vote # 126, 3/29/07, passed 51-47]
Collins sided with Bush by voting against bringing our troops home from Iraq. Senator Collins voted to strike language that would impose a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Collins voted yea. [S.Amdt. 643 to H.R. 1591, Vote # 116, 3/27/07; failed 48-50]
Collins voted against bringing our troops home. Senator Collins voted against the passage of the joint resolution that would establish a more limited mission for U.S. forces in Iraq and set a non-binding goal of withdrawing most combat troops by March 2008. Collins voted nay. [S.J.Res. 9, Vote # 75, 3/15/07, failed 48-50]
Collins remained loyal to Bush when she voted against Iraq civil war reports. Senator Collins voted to table an amendment that would require the Defense secretary, in consultation with the secretary of State, to provide Congress with an assessment of whether civil war has broken out in Iraq and a strategy to protect U.S. troops. Collins voted yea. [S.Amdt. 4885 to H.R. 5631, Vote # 233, 9/6/06; passed 54-44]
Collins stood with Bush and voted against stronger control on military contractors. Senator Collins voted against stricter control on contractors assigned to military facilities and against a new law banning "war profiteering." Collins voted nay. [S 2400, Vote # 120, 6/16/04]
Collins sided with Bush to eliminate Congressional approval of $20 billion more for Iraq. Senator Collins voted to kill an amendment that required the President to seek Congressional approval through the appropriations process to spend $20 billion for the reconstruction of Iraq. Proponents of the amendment argued that Congress should not simply hand over $20 billion in funds to the President to use at his discretion, but instead Bush should have to seek additional funding through the Congressional appropriations process. Collins voted yea. [S 1689, Vote # 398, 10/17/2003; Congressional Record, 10/17/2003]
Collins voted with Bush to authorize the war in Iraq. Senator Collins voted for the first pre-emptive military strike in United States history against a foreign nation (Iraq Use of Force Resolution). This vote gave Bush what critics call a "blank check" in the war on Iraq. Collins voted yea. [H.J. Res. 114, Vote # 237, 10/11/02]