Sparks fly over Davis? stance on Iraq war
The conversation got dicey when Congressman Lincoln Davis was asked about supporting our troops in Iraq during a town hall meeting yesterday in McMinnville.
Davis was in town as part of a seven-day trip that will lead him through all 24 counties he represents in the 4th Congressional District.
?I want to know how you can say you support our troops and don?t support funding them?? asked McMinnville resident Sam Allen.
Davis has opposed President Bush?s request to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq, but maintains he fully supports the troops who are already there.
?I will never vote to cut funding for our troops in Iraq,? said Davis. ?But putting more of our soldiers in the kill zone is not the right move to make. I don?t support additional troops coming in. I support more coming home.?
Allen pressed Davis about his best-case solution for Iraq. He asked the congressman if he favored a cut-and-run strategy, or staying the course. Davis said leaving Iraq without stability is not an option and he questioned why Bush would propose a troop surge just days after Democrats took control of Congress.
?We?ve been there three-and-a-half years without new troops and three days after a new Congress takes over there?s a need for new troops,? said Davis. ?The American people deserve better than that.?
Davis addressed topics such as healthcare and abortion, but the lively conversation all centered around Iraq. Another resident asked Davis about why America feels its entitled to invade and occupy another country in the first place. Davis said the obvious answer is oil.
?Oil has been the lifeblood for developing countries for over a century,? said Davis. ?The more we develop alternative fuels, the more our interests will go down in the Middle East. The natural resources of that region are why we?re there. We?re there to keep that resource and to keep other countries from getting that resource.?
Before taking questions from the crowd gathered at Warren County Administrative Offices, Davis indicated in his opening remarks that healthcare is one of the most pressing ? and expensive ? situations facing this country.
?We spend over $6,000 in healthcare for every man, woman and child in America,? said Davis. ?The next closest country is Canada which spends $2,400 per person. It?s hard to expect our companies to be competitive in a global market when we expect them to pay so much for their employees? healthcare.?