The Progressive

NewsWire

A project of Common Dreams

For Immediate Release
Contact:

Nathan
White

(202)225-5871

As Karzai Visits Washington DC, Kucinich Says, "End the War, Rebuild America"

Congressman Dennis
Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement on the Floor of the
House of Representatives concerning Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's
visit to Washington:

WASHINGTON

Congressman Dennis
Kucinich (D-OH) today made the following statement on the Floor of the
House of Representatives concerning Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai's
visit to Washington:

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai is in Washington
this week seeking another $33 billion to keep the war going and meeting
with the White House to present his so-called "peace" proposal to
allocate $160 million from international donors to fund new government
bodies, pay off insurgents who agree to stop fighting and to undermine
efforts to establish local governance.
"Ranked the second most corrupt government in the
world only behind Somalia, Mr. Karzai's blatant government corruption,
his ties to big oil and Afghanistan's most notorious drug
pushers--including his own brother--is no secret. While he is being
treated as royalty in Washington, millions of dollars shuffle through
Kabul Airport unaccounted for and Mr. Karzai builds villas in Dubai.
Meanwhile, I have constituents in Cleveland struggling to stay in their
homes.
"The longer this charade of nation building and
counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan continues, the more U.S.
soldiers and innocent Afghani civilians die.
"He wants $33 billion for war to continue in
Afghanistan. Here at home, Americans need jobs, access to education and
health care. Billions would be better spent rebuilding America than
sending it to Afghanistan to continue a war.
"Bring our troops home. End the war."

Dennis Kucinich is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008.