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Tell Iraqis No Permanent Bases, Says Bob Barr

ATLANTA, June 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- John McCain and Barack Obama are playing a petty game of "gotcha" while Iraqis demonstrate against the Bush administration's plan to create long-term, if not permanent, bases inIraq. "The next president should commit to a speedy and complete withdrawal from Iraq," argues Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate for president, "and tell the Iraqi people that the U.S. troops will be going home."

It is "no knock against America's brave fighting men and women to admit that the war and subsequent occupation was a mistake and has been badly mismanaged," he adds. The next president must undertake the withdrawal which President Bush will not consider. In fact, with violence down "now is the time to accelerate the turnover of full security authority to theIraq government, since only when we leave will they have an incentive to take the tough steps necessary to meet their nation's many challenges -- military, economic, and political," explains Barr.

In any case, so long asWashington dominatesIraq, U.S. forces will remain the target of antagonistic groups, militias, and insurgents. America will continue to lose brave men and women and waste billions of dollars -- day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year. That must end. It has never been America's purpose to occupy other nations in an effort to remold them, whetherIraq or anywhere else.

Barr represented the 7th District ofGeorgia in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003, where he served as a senior member of the Judiciary Committee, as Vice-Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Financial Services. Prior to his congressional career, Barr was appointed by President Reagan to serve asthe United States Attorney for the Northern District ofGeorgia, and also served as an official with the CIA.

Since leaving Congress, Barr has been practicing law and has teamed up with groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the American Conservative Union to actively advocate every American citizens' right to privacy and other civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Along with this, Bob is committed to helping elect leaders who will strive for smaller government, lower taxes and abundant individual freedom.

Paid for by the Bob Barr 2008 Presidential Committee

BobBarr2008.com

SOURCE Bob Barr 2008 Presidential Committee

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