Thompson Introduces Iraq Redeployment Plan

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) today introduced legislation (H. Con. Res. 348) that would call for the redeployment of American forces in Iraq following the completion of the Iraqi constitutional amendment process. If passed, the bill would also honor the members of the U.S. armed forces and reserves for their service and express the sense of the Congress that the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq or interfere with Iraqi oil revenues.

“Our brave men and women serving in Iraq have performed courageously and honorably and they deserve our thanks and respect,” Thompson said. “Congress and the president must set the bar and identify what it will take for us to accomplish the mission in Iraq. When the Iraqi people conclude the process of amending their constitution and establish their democratic government we must begin to re-deploy our troops.”

The text of the bill states, “Resolved in the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), that it is the sense of the Congress thatâ€"
1)the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence or military bases in Iraq;
2)the United States should not attempt to control the flow of Iraqi oil; and
3)United States Armed Forces should be re-deployed from Iraq as soon as practicable after the completion of Iraq's constitution making process or September 30, 2006, whichever comes first.”

Thompson, a Vietnam combat veteran, began drafting the legislation upon returning from a Congressional visit to Iraq in late January. The trip was Thompson's second to Iraq. In the fall of 2002 he traveled to the region to see first hand what American forces would face if they were sent to Iraq. Upon returning in October of 2002 Thompson penned an editorial explaining his reasons for traveling to Iraq and predicted that U.S military personnel would be engaged in protracted urban warfare for many years if we invaded. Thompson voted against the resolution giving the president the authority to invade Iraq.

Thompson's legislation is the only bill in Congress that stipulates that the Iraqi people should control their oil revenues; it is also the first to combine a withdrawal plan and a clear statement that the United States will not occupy permanent military bases in the country.

“Today, the Iraqi insurgency is being fueled by the notion that we have become an occupying force in Iraq. We need to send a clear message that we have no intention on staying in Iraq indefinitely,” Thompson added. “Congress needs to tell the Iraqi people and the Arab world that we will not build permanent military bases in Iraq and that we will not attempt to control the flow of their oil.”