The October 15 Senate candidates debate demonstrated why it is so critical that David Sole, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate, and the only anti-war candidate, be included in the debates and have his views publicized by the media.
On the same day polls indicated that 65% of the people of Michigan oppose the Iraq war, in the so-called Senate debate, both Stabenow and Bouchard voiced support for the war. While Stabenow stated she initially voted against the war, she made clear that ever since she has voted for every single military appropriation to fund and maintain the war. When asked if she would call for a time limit for the withdrawal of U.S. troops, she refused to do so, and echoed the Bush double talk about the Iraqi forces taking a more active role, a total joke in light of recent events. Bouchard echoed Stabenow's support for the war.
In contrast, David Sole, Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate stated: "I call for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. 3000 U.S. troops have been killed, tens of thousands more have been seriously injured, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people have been killed as a recent of this illegal and immoral war, fought at the behest of the U.S. oil companies." Sole added: "The cost of the Iraq war is now $334 billion. If that money had been used for human needs and not war, Michigan's share, $8.9 billion, could have gone a long way toward providing health care, housing and jobs at living wages for all."
Sole continued: "In the debate Stabenow was asked if she supported a national health plan. She ducked the question. I support a free national health plan which would be funded by dramatically slashing the Pentagon budget which was recently passed without opposition in the U.S. Senate. Both candidates expressed their anti-immigrant views. I support amnesty and full legal rights for all immigrants. And both candidates repeated the failed 'trickle down economics' calling for tax breaks for big business to protect jobs. I call for an immediate moratorium on all plant closings and lay-offs and a public works program to rebuild our cities, a shorter work week, a $15 hour minimum wage and elimination of corporate bankruptcy laws which allow companies to use bankruptcy to eliminate workers' pensions." Sole is available for interviews at .
Posted: October 16, 2006