Congressman Jim Leach of Iowa City says it’s time for a “reversal” in U.S. foreign policy. Leach was the commencement speaker at Indian Hills Community College last (Thursday) night. He told the crowd in Ottumwa that “there has never been a more important time to give diplomacy a chance.”
Leach suggested “confrontational approaches” with Iran and North Korea won’t work in an era when our foreign foes have nuclear weapons. Leach, who is a Republican, called on the Bush Administration to pull the U.S. military out of Iraq quickly. Leach conceded it’s often harder to end a war than start one.
But Leach said “whether Iraq was a good or bad judgment call, it is clear we are fast approaching the point where our presence has become more disruptive than stabilizing” in Iraq.