“I understand what it's like to be a soldier caught in the cross hairs of political pandering. We had already announced our intentions to leave Vietnam by the time I got there in 1970. I was wounded in June 1970 and, tragically, about 9,500 additional men were killed before we finally left. Once again, we risk ignoring the inevitable at the expense of American lives. We need to begin a phased redeployment today.”
In 2002, as President Bush was planning the invasion, Congressman Thompson visited Iraq to better understand what American troops would be facing. His visit informed his decision to vote against authorizing the war in Iraq in 2002; he has been a vocal opponent of the war since.
He believes our troops have accomplished what they were sent to do. It’s now time for the Iraqis to bring peace to their country. We need to show the Iraqi government that we’re serious about the benchmarks we’ve set for them. Just asking them to meet the benchmarks hasn’t worked for four years. We need a realistic timeline for making progress in Iraq and for getting our troops out as safely and quickly as possible.
On July 17, 2007 Congressman Thompson introduced legislation to bring our troops home quickly and responsibly.
Click here to read Mike's October 2002 Washington Post Op-Ed
