State Rep. Frank LaGrotta – 10/8/04

This page was last updated on October 8, 2004.

LaGrotta calls on Congress to review Iraq war; State Rep. Frank LaGrotta (D-10); October 8, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject faux press release.

“HARRISBURG, Oct. 8 – State Rep. Frank LaGrotta, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler, is co-sponsoring a resolution that would call on the U.S. Congress to review the current situation in Iraq and make several requests of the president.”

[RWC] Mr. LaGrotta and his colleagues – both Democrat and Republican – can’t lead Pennsylvania effectively but Mr. LaGrotta can find time for a political stunt.

“‘The costs to Pennsylvania families for the war in Iraq are enormous and growing with each day,’ LaGrotta said. ‘It’s time for state governments to step up and tell Congress that we are dissatisfied with the current situation and that we demand more from our nation’s leader. I’m hoping that this resolution will encourage other states to make their voices heard.’”

[RWC] I hate to break the news to Mr. LaGrotta, but Congress represents “we the people,” not state governments. If he wants to express his opinion to his U.S representative and senators as a private citizen, that’s Mr. LaGrotta’s right and I encourage him to exercise that right. Otherwise, Mr. LaGrotta and his colleagues hold no special standing and should not claim to represent Pennsylvania citizens on federal government responsibilities. We elect U.S. representatives and senators for this purpose.

“Specifically, the resolution would urge Congress to request that President Bush prepare a plan to secure international support, train Iraqi security forces, implement a coherent reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people and take the essential steps to hold elections next year. Congress would also be asked to make public the findings of its own review of the war.”

[RWC] Apparently Mr. LaGrotta has been so busy representing his district he missed the fact that President Bush has done and continues to do all of this. I’m sure it’s an honest mistake. <g>

“LaGrotta said that American taxpayers have been saddled with a $200 billion debt as a result of the Iraq war, $6.3 billion of which will be paid by Pennsylvania taxpayers. Worse still, more than 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died and more than 7,000 soldiers have been wounded since the start of the war in March 2003.”

[RWC] As most politicians, Mr. LaGrotta is fact-challenged. As of September 30, 2004, the actual money spent in Iraq was approximately $120 billion according to the Office of Management and Budget. I have no doubt we’ll eventually exceed $200 billion, but we’re not there yet and politicians who want to throw rocks have a responsibility to get their facts straight.

As of October 8^th, the number of military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq was 1,205 and the number of wounded was 8,117. I wish a war on terrorism was unnecessary, but decades of mostly ineffective responses to terrorism gave us little choice. I’m sure as a loyal Democrat Mr. LaGrotta considers Iraq a distraction from the war on terror. I believe the Iraq War is an important battle in the broader war on terrorism.

“‘Our families are being torn apart by a poorly planned war in Iraq,’ LaGrotta said. ‘It is costing us much more than even our hard-earned dollars; it is costing us the lives of our loved ones. This can’t be a free-for-all. We deserve a well-thought out, cohesive plan in Iraq with a realistic timetable.’”

[RWC] Note that Mr. LaGrotta provides no support for his “poorly planned war” comment. It’s what I call “drive by” bashing. Perhaps he watched too many Mission: Impossible episodes as a child and believes war proceeds as a Hollywood script.

When a liberal talks about “our hard-earned dollars,” your BS alarm should go off. On the other hand, because Mr. LaGrotta is a liberal, “our” may refer to the government.

Mr. LaGrotta wants us to tell the terrorists when we’re going to leave Iraq? I’m no military expert, but telling the enemy when you plan to “get out of Dodge” doesn’t sound like a good idea. If I were the enemy and knew the coalition timetable, I’d back off until the coalition left. The sane plan is victory regardless of the time required. The enemy must know that no matter how long they plan to fight, we will fight longer and defeat them.

“The resolution is expected to be formally introduced in the House sometime soon.”