Walter Jones Works To Remember His Mistake
Years ago, U.S. Representative Walter Jones was among the Republicans and pro-war Democrats who mocked anyone who dared to question the rush to send the U.S. military to fight in the Middle East and central Asia. He isn’t mocking any more.
These days, Congressman Jones is forcing himself to remember the consequences of his enthusiasm for war, and he is asking other members of Congress to join him in that remembrance. Yesterday, Jones made the following comments on the matter, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:
“I have signed over 9,747 letters to families and extended families who have lost loved ones in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do that every weekend so I can be reminded of my mistake of voting to give President Bush the authority to go into Iraq – a war we never had to fight. It was manipulated by those within the administration, and it never had to be; and, yes, we lost young men and women in that battle.
On Afghanistan, I have joined my colleagues on both the Democratic side and the Republican side to ask: What is the end point? What is the definition of ‘victory’? What are we trying to achieve? You can never get a straight answer. I don’t care who gives you an answer; you don’t know what the end point is.
So there we are, spending $6 billion, $7 billion a month in Afghanistan, but we can’t fix the streets in America. We can’t build schools in America; yet we have borrowed that $6 billion, $7 billion from our Chinese friends. We owe them the money while we spend it in a foreign country, and we can’t even take care of our own people.”
I have been against the wars since 2001. It is a testimony to the Congressman’s honesty and integrity. Yes, it was an expensive lesson, however, it was learned and bravely acknowledged. Weneed more honorable representation like this in Washington.