Voinovich: Iraq war worth the price

YOUNGSTOWN

Though U.S. Sen. George V. Voinovich has expressed concerns about the money spent and the lives lost in Iraq, his recent visit there made a believer out of him that the war and ongoing military presence of U.S. troops is worth the price.

When asked, “Was it worth it?” Voinovich paused for a few moments and said, “Yeah, with the caveat that they keep going in the direction they’re going.”

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, 4,402 U.S. troops have died there, according to icasualties.org, a nongovernment website that tracks fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Voinovich spoke to a handful of reporters on a Wednesday teleconference about his visit to Iraq, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire (also known as the Ivory Coast).

Voinovich, a lame-duck senator serving out the remaining seven months of his term, joined two other senators and two U.S. House members, all Republicans, on the trip that began

June 1 and ended Monday.

“Maybe this thing will work out the way we want it to,” Voinovich said. “We certainly paid a huge price.”

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