Congressman Tim Bishop (Dem. 1st C.D.) spoke to constituents Monday evening at a meeting hosted by the Rogers Memorial Library in Southampton.
The Iraq war dominated the discussion.
The congressman was urged by many to support the resolution for prompt withdrawal of US troops introduced by Rep. Jack Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who is considered a friend of the military.
Mr. Bishop agreed with many arguments for withdrawal from Iraq - but Bishop is not signing on to the Murtha resolution since he says he's worried about leaving 'a failed state' in Iraq.
He said
"I think our involment in Iraq represents the single greatest foreign policy miscalculation in our history"
"but now that we're there it's not as simple as saying it's not going well, let's get the hell out"
" if we stay we expose our troops to further peril"
"we are the single best recruitment device for al Qaeda"
"If we leave we run the risk of leaving behind a failed state and we run the risk ...
of leaving behind a state which will become the subject of a civil war that will engulf the entire middle east."
"my own view is that we should immediately pull out a significant number of troops starting with the guard and the reserve"
"the presence of some number of our troops enhances the possibility that the [ Iraqi ] government has a chance to take hold"
Bishop's stance was questioned by speakers who said they did not understand his logic and that repeating the same thing which does not work is the definition of insanity.
Joseph Giannini, the leader of East End Vets, a group of combat veterans who oppose the war told the congressman he would not vote for him unless he supports the Murtha resolution.
"I was in Nam in 1968 ... i see a lot of similarities between Iraq and Viet Nam.
... an Iraqi general said it would be another Viet Nam; the desert would be the rice paddies and the cities would be the jungles"
" what's happening is men and women are dying .. it will continue ..till we bring them home"
'it will take 6 mos to get the troops out ..that should be enough time for the international community to get in there."
"we've got to force them to get in there and we've got to get out"
Giannini, addressing Bishop directly said
"You are sitting on the fence. Get off the fence. Murtha knows ...what it's like to be in a country
where they hate you .... get our men and women out of there"
I will not support anyone who does not support the Murtha resolution"
As most of the audience applauded, Congressman Bishop said "I hear you".
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This report was prepared with the help of WPKN's East End News Team on Long Island.
WPKM 88.7 Montauk and WPKN 89.5 Bridgeport local news is heard Mon-Friday at 6:30pm
following Pacifica's "Free Speech Radio News", starting at 6pm.
