State of Alaska secondary Archives: on War & Peace

Lisa Murkowski: A democratic Iraq will be a role model for the Middle East

KNOWLES: Based on the information of imminent threat presented to Congress by Bush, I supported the decision to invade Iraq. Knowing today this information was false, we would be safer if we had used those forces for a full-scale assault on Al-Qaida and bin Laden, who remain an imminent threat to our security. It remains in the best interests of America and the world to continue efforts to bring peace and stability to Iraq.

MURKOWSKI: Iraq will be a successful and stable democracy and the result will place greater pressure on other Middle Eastern nations to grant individuals greater civil rights and liberties. This will only come about if the US remains committed to assisting Iraq make this transformation. If not, other groups who would like to play a greater role in their own government's decision-making process are likely to be disillusioned and unlikely to push for reform.

Lisa Murkowski: Prewar Iraq was a safe haven for terrorists

MURKOWSKI: Murkowski said Americans are engaging in "a lot of Monday-morning quarterbacking" on the war. "We all agree that the world is a better place, a safer place, without Saddam Hussein in power," she said. She described prewar Iraq as a "safe haven for terrorists," an assertion that was not reached by the Sept. 11 Commission.

Scott Kohlhaas: The Bush doctrine makes a draft is very, very likely