GOP Presidential candidate John Cox Opposes Bush's Proposed Troop Surge for Iraq;

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

John Cox, the first announced Republican presidential candidate, released the following statement this evening:

"Pres. Bush's plan for a 'surge' in troops to Iraq and an additional $1 billion or more in taxpayer handouts is the wrong approach and will not lead to victory.

The people of Iraq live in economic despair every day. They lack hope, and many are turning to terror and violence as a result.

Sending more American soldiers into Fallujah with virtual targets on their backs fails to address the economic realities on the ground.

Simply sending more troops and another billion dollars of taxpayer money to Iraq is foolish and wasteful, and will not solve the economic problems of the Iraqi people.

Lifting people and the economy up out of the chaos they are in must be part of the solution.

I have called on Pres. Bush to implement what I call "Operation Economic Opportunity" to ensure that nation's oil capacity is brought fully online, so they can sell oil on the open market and build their own schools, roads and military - with their own money.

We must get our troops off the streets and get them guarding the oil pipelines and refineries immediately.

We must reform the government bureaucracy in Iraq that is keeping funds from reaching the rebuilding projects that they so desperately need.

Productive, happy and gainfully employed people do not turn to terrorism.

In a nation of 25 million people, an estimated $75 billion more in annual oil revenue could lift the nation out of poverty, and bring hope and prosperity to a nation sitting on an ocean of oil.

By building up the Iraqi's economy by returning oil production to full capacity, they can become self-sufficient, and then we can leave, knowing we have ensured a lasting peace.

We must give economic hope to the Iraqi people. America can give them hope for the future through economic opportunity and the personal and financial rewards that brings.

The Iraqi people must feel they have a share in their nation's prosperity and success. Only then will we be able to leave that nation, knowing we have made it a shining star in the region and an example for others to follow."

John H. Cox, 51, is the former president of the Cook County (IL) Republican Party. He is a CPA, real estate broker, attorney and investment advisor. John Cox lives in Chicago, IL with his wife and four daughters. For more information, visit www.cox2008.com

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