Leslie Byrne's Peace Plan for Iraq

Note: The following is a press release I received from the Leslie Byrne for Congress Campaign:

Leslie Byrne outlines plan for peace in Iraq

Former Congresswoman was one of first to speak out against war

Fairfax, VA-- On the fifth anniversary of “Mission Accomplished,” former Congresswoman Leslie Byrne released her plans for ending the quagmire in the Middle East. She is calling for the swift withdrawal of all of our troops and a new diplomatic and economic offensive in the region.

“For five years, we’ve pursued military options. The current policy has cost more than 4,000American lives and as many as one million Iraqis their lives. Today we’re no closer to a stable democracy in the region. It’s time to give diplomacy a chance,” she said.

Byrne was among the earliest to sign onto “A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq,” which lays out a path to peace through diplomacy and cooperative effort. More than 50 other candidates for Congress and some of our nation’s leading military experts have now endorsed this plan.

“With so many members of the new Congress in agreement on how to repair the damage, we’ll be able to start making progress immediately. We can’t afford to waste any more time dithering about the correct path, and with the ‘Responsible Plan,’ we won’t have to,” Byrne said.

Byrne has been publicly opposed to the war from the very beginning, joining 75 other former congressmen in calling on President Bush to put more effort into diplomacy before the invasion took place. Her leadership on this issue has earned her the endorsements of Senator Jim Webb and Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus.

“It was clear to me in 2003 that the White House was rushing to war, and I said so publicly at that time. I’m the only candidate in this race who had the judgment and leadership to take that step,” Byrne said.

Leslie Byrne is a former member of Congress who has fought for economic and social justice in the Virginia House of Delegates, the Virginia Senate, and as the Consumer Advocate of the United states under former President Bill Clinton. She and her husband Larry have two grown children and two grandchildren, all living in Northern Virginia.

###