[Peace-discuss] Johnson on AfPak, healthcare

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Our Congressional representative does the right thing twice this week, calling 
for (1) troops out of Afghanistan, and (2) opposition to the administration's 
"Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act," Sen Baucus' health 
care reform bill, accurately called by an insurance company executive an 
"absolute gift to the industry."  And look who Timmy's associates are in his 
Afghanistan withdrawal legislation -- apparently a far more serious suggestion 
than those about "time tables."  When you call him (202-225-2371) to support his 
Afghanistan position, mention too that single-payer/Medicare-for-all is the 
right way to go on healthcare. --CGE]


	Johnson wants troops out of Afghanistan
	By Tom Kacich, The News-Gazette
	Tuesday September 22, 2009

GIBSON CITY – U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Urbana, told a town hall meeting Monday 
night that he plans to sponsor legislation calling for the immediate withdrawal 
of American troops from Afghanistan.

"I want to protect America, but I don't want to lose lives senselessly," Johnson 
said following a one-hour, open-air session with about 300 people at a park 
pavilion in Gibson City. "And we cannot police the world."

Johnson's unexpected comments were reminiscent of a break he made in early 2007 
with former President Bush over the war in Iraq. At that time, he came out 
against a "troop surge" in Iraq. "People believe and I believe that we are at a 
point in history where, unless we have dramatic change in direction, we can wind 
up being mired and continue to lose large numbers of lives – American, Iraqi and 
others – indefinitely," he said in January 2007. "And I'm not going to be a part 
of it."

Two years later, regarding a different country and with a different president, 
Johnson said he sees a similarity.

"I'm suggesting to you that there is no end game. I believe that our men and 
women are there in a mission that is ill-defined," Johnson said of the war in 
Afghanistan and the growing pressure to send more American troops there. "I 
think we're losing people by the day, here and over there, with no even indirect 
relationship to our national security.

"Within a couple of weeks, I'm going to be looking at legislation and issuing a 
definitive statement on my position on Afghanistan which at this point I would 
suggest would call for our withdrawal of troops forthwith."

"We've had a succession from Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan, and the net result 
has been thousands of lives lost, and very little progress made.

"It's kind of like one of those whack-a-moles at the fair. You knock down one 
and there are four others to get up. I'm in favor of doing everything we can to 
make America secure, to make sure we don't have another 9/11 or even anything 
analogous to that, but I'm also convinced that our continued presence in 
Afghanistan is not serving that role. And we need to seriously re-examine where 
we're at."

Johnson said he is working with a bipartisan group, including Reps. Ron Paul, 
R-Texas, Jim McGovern, D-Mass., and Jerry Costello, D-Belleville, on the 
Afghanistan withdrawal legislation.

Gibson City and Ford County have always been strongly supportive of Johnson, 
ever since he began his state legislative career in 1976 and his congressional 
tenure in 2001. Last year, he got 80 percent of the vote in Ford County over 
Democratic challenger Steve Cox.

And for the most part, he won praise Monday night.

He was applauded for his opposition to what he called "nationalized" health 
care, and to the cap and trade bill that cleared the House earlier this summer. 
He won more applause for his votes against 11 spending bills this year, saying 
that the federal budget is "bloated" and the debt is out of control.

But there was some grumbling that he was not outspoken enough against the 
leadership of Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

"If you feel I haven't been a strong enough voice, I'll do the best I can to be 
that strong voice," Johnson said. "But if it reaches the point where you think 
I'm not effective, then you should feel free to get a stronger voice."

Find this article at:

http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2009/09/22/johnson_plans_to_push_to_get_troops_out_of_afghanistan
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