{"id":1941,"date":"2007-07-06T10:38:00","date_gmt":"2007-07-06T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/07\/pearce-disagrees-with-domenici-on-iraq\/"},"modified":"2007-07-06T10:38:00","modified_gmt":"2007-07-06T16:38:00","slug":"pearce-disagrees-with-domenici-on-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2007\/07\/pearce-disagrees-with-domenici-on-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"Pearce disagrees with Domenici on Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In response to news that U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici<\/a>, R-N.M., supports changing America<\/st1:country-region>\u2019s mission in Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>, GOP Rep. Steve Pearce<\/a> said he believes \u201cbattlefield assessments are best made by the generals and commanders in the field.\u201d <\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

In the past, Pearce has been one of the strongest backers of President Bush\u2019s<\/a> Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> strategy, supporting his controversial troop surge and opposing any timetable for withdrawal. In the statement released today, Pearce gave no indication that he has changed his mind.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate and respect Senator Domenici\u2019s leadership for New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> and know that he must have weighed the issues and come to this decision carefully,\u201d Pearce said. \u201c\u2026 Though we may differ on some issues, Senator Domenici\u2019s leadership and devotion for New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:state> has been steadfast.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Domenici announced Thursday that he is cosponsoring legislation that would call for the implementation of many of the Iraq Study Group<\/a> recommendations, including a plan to move all American troops out of combat missions \u2013 and move many troops out of Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> altogether \u2013 by March 2008. He said he made the decision because the Iraqi government is failing to meet benchmarks that were to accompany the troop surge, but said he does not support an immediate withdrawal or cuts in funding for troops.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Domenici also said he had been urged by the parents of fallen soldiers to help change America<\/st1:country-region>\u2019s strategy in Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region>.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Pearce said he is also committed to ensuring troops \u201creceive proper funding,\u201d and said he understands \u201cthe tremendous sense of anguish (parents of fallen soldiers) feel and the heavy burden they bear.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I remember the tremendous sense of loss we all felt when we were attacked on 9\/11, our outrage when we heard of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center and the horror we felt as we witnessed the second plane hit the second tower,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWe should not forget that changing strategies also comes with risks,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cThe terrorists we fight in Iraq<\/st1:country-region> and around the world have openly announced their 100-year plan to attack America<\/st1:country-region><\/st1:place> and her allies.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Pearce said the United States<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> \u201cshould make all national-security decisions with this in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cWe must ask whether a withdrawal from Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> will make us more secure or only force us to return at a later date to fight the same enemy, or worse, fight them here in our streets,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe owe it to our troops to give them our full support,\u201d Pearce said. \u201cI know I will continue to work with Senator Domenici to ensure they receive the necessary funding and equipment they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Domenici\u2019s shift has drawn national attention. He was the focus of the lead articles today in the New York Times<\/a> and Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Update, 1:05 p.m.<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

Leland Lehrman<\/a>, one of three Democrats vying for the right to take on Domenici next year, released this statement today:<\/p>\n

<\/o:p><\/p>\n

\u201cSenator Domenici\u2019s recent change of position on the Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> war is welcome, if long overdue. His plan to redeploy troops elsewhere in the region represents no change in the moral tenor of Domenici\u2019s imperialistic foreign policy. On first hearing the news, I thought he might have had a change of heart, but upon examining the details in the press reports, I realized that he still won\u2019t be able to retire with a clear conscience after the 2008 elections. Although that\u2019s a shame for Senator Domenici, the consequences for those who will die as a result of his complete lack of moral leadership and commitment to peace are much graver. Blaming the Iraq<\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region> fiasco on the puppet Iraqi government is the most immature, hypocritical and fallacious argument in his entire presentation. I cannot believe that a man willing to mouth the most fantastic excuses for immorality has been accepted by the citizens of New Mexico<\/st1:place><\/st1:State> as their senator for so long. His defeat in 2008 cannot come soon enough.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In response to news that U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., supports changing America\u2019s mission in Iraq, GOP Rep. Steve Pearce said he believes \u201cbattlefield assessments are best made by the generals and commanders in the field.\u201d In the past, Pearce has been one of the strongest backers of President Bush\u2019s Iraq strategy, supporting his controversial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1941\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}