I firmly believe that in order to protect the United States from terrorism, one of our primary goals must be to help bring stability to Iraq. A free and stable Iraq is able to govern itself freely, sustain a stable economy, and police iteslf effectively. Every day, Iraq moves closer to this goal, and the troop surge has aided this progress immensely. Our men and women in uniform have worked hard to rebuild a free Iraq, but their work is not done. We need to continue to support them with the tools they need to be safe and effective in serving our country.

Congressman Kaptur has repeatedly attempted to undermine the efforts of our men and women in uniform. Her website states, “The war in Iraq was ineffective because the U.S. military incursion could not make our country safer or the Middle East any less dangerous.” This statement, as well as others against our military’s efforts demoralizes the troops who have served, who currently serve, and who will serve in the future. The war was effective and the U.S. military has made our country safer and the Middle East less dangerous. Terrorism in the area is being quashed by American, coalition, and Iraqi forces every day. And although our troops need funding in order to carry out their mission of protecting our freedoms, she repeatedly votes against this support.

---

Since 2002, Congressman Kaptur has:

● voted to tie spending for our troops to billions of dollars in pork (Roll No. 186, 2007)
● voted against condemning Iraqi prisoner abuse and encouraging the Secretary of the Army to investigate the issue. (Vote 150, 5/6/04)
● voted twice against over $87 million supplemental funding for our troops serving overseas. (Vote 562, 10/17/03; Vote 601, 10/31/03)
● voted against using necessary force against Saddam Hussein. (Vote 455, 10/10/02)