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Sen. Voinovich says war in Iraq is worth the price
By DAVID SKOLNICK
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.”
He last visited Iraq in August 2007.
“This is my last trip to Iraq,” he said. “I’m getting toward the end of my career here, and I wanted to get a final look at the country.”
While in Iraq, Voinovich and the delegation met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Chris Hill and U.S. military leaders.
Voinovich said he told al-Maliki that Iraq has to become self-sufficient and stop relying on the United States.
Voinovich said he’s “optimistic” that Iraq can operate as a democracy in time.
“I am confident they’ll come together and form a government,” he said.
Voinovich said he doubts Iraq will ever be an ally of the United States, “but they could be our friends.”
The trip was designed to review U.S. security, counterterrorism and development assistance in Africa and the Middle East.
“I wanted to get an idea as to is this thing working out,” Voinovich said. “I was really impressed.”
Voinovich said then-President George W. Bush should have shown more patience before having the United States invade Iraq seven years ago.
“A lot of things should have been delayed,” he said. “More time should have been taken.”