IRAQ: SUPPORTING THE WAR (AND WAR CONTRACTORS) NOT THE VETERANS

Norm Coleman has supported George Bush and Dick Cheney's failed Iraq War strategy since day one. Norm campaigned heavily on his support for Bush's war in 2002, and followed through for Bush and his right-wing allies on the Senate floor. Like a typical politician, Norm is doing everything possible to shift his position in an attempt to remake his embarrassing record during an election year.

Opposed Additional Funding For National Guard & Reserves Equipment
Coleman Voted Against A $1 Billion In Supplemental Funding For National Guard & Reserves Equipment: In 2003, Coleman voted to kill an amendment that would appropriate approximately $1 billion for equipment for the National Guard and Reserves. The vote was on a motion to kill the amendment. (S 762, Vote #116, 4/2/03)

Opposed Tax Breaks On Salaries Paid To Active Reservists

Coleman Voted Against Tax Credit For Salaries Paid To National Guard & Reservists: In May 2003, Coleman voted against an amendment that would allow a 50 percent tax credit on the salaries employers pay workers who are in the National Guard or Reserves and have been put on active duty. The vote was on a motion to waive the Budget Act with respect to a point of order against the amendment and required three-fifths of the Senate to pass. The motion was rejected 46 to 54. The point of order was subsequently upheld and the amendment fell. (S 1054, Vote #163, 5/15/03)

Coleman Voted Against $65 Billion for Veterans
Coleman Voted to Strip $65 Billion for Veterans.  Just days before Veterans Day, Norm Coleman voted to block veterans funding from going to the President's desk. Senator Coleman joined fellow Republicans who, according to The Hill, "…killed $65 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and for military construction operations."  [Vote #404, D 45-0, R 0-46, 11/7/07 ; The Hill, 11/8/07 ]

Opposed to Ending the War Until Up for Reelection

Compared Iraq War To Hitler: In March 2003, Coleman said of the Iraq War, "There are parallels between this and Hitler…If you appease tyrants, you will pay a price, and that was always the case. But in this post-9/11 world, the dangers are so much greater." (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 3/23/03)

But Opposed Capping Troops In Iraq: In January 2007, Coleman voted against an amendment in the Foreign Relations Committee to cap the level of U.S. troops in Iraq to 137,500, the level of troops as of Jan. 16, 2007. The amendment was rejected by a vote of 6 to 15. (SConRes2, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1/24/07; CQ Committee Coverage)

And Voted Against Resolution Against Troop Surge In Committee: In January 2007, Coleman voted against a resolution opposing President Bush's Iraq strategy to deploy another 21,500 troops to Iraq. (SConRes2, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1/24/07; CQ Committee Coverage)

December 2006 – Said New Thinking Was Needed In Iraq: In December 2006, Coleman told reporters that "new thinking" was needed in Iraq. "Right now, there's no question the situation in Iraq is very grave and unsettling," Coleman said. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 12/8/06) Voted Against Using Iraqi Oil Revenues To Pay For Reconstruction: In 2003, Coleman vote to kill an amendment that would have tapped Iraqi oil revenues to pay for reconstruction. (S 1689, Vote #392, 10/17/03; CQ Daily Monitor, 10/17/03)

Opposed Accountability and Congressional Oversight of Iraq.

In 2003, Coleman vote to kill an amendment that would have tapped Iraqi oil revenues to pay for reconstruction and opposed making $10.2 bill in Iraq reconstruction funding contingent on a U.N resolution that would authorize a multinational military force under U.S. leadership in Iraq. The president also would be required to provide a detailed reconstruction plan that includes an estimated schedule for the transfer of sovereignty to the Iraqi people and the withdrawal of troops.  

YET in 2008- just in time for the 2008 election, he has introduced legislation to rescind $1 billion in future US reconstruction funding, saying “It is past time for the Iraqis to take more responsibility for their own reconstruction.”

In 2004, Coleman voted against investigating billions of dollars of U.S. contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan that were wrought with mismanagement and corruption.