Brian there on WNYC.

With us now, New York Congressman Pat Ryan.

The Hudson Valley Democrat went to West Point, served two combat tours in Iraq, earning him two bronze stars.

He's on the House Armed Services Committee. The district includes Kingston, New Paltz,

Poughkeepsie, and other places around there. Congressman Ryan has been in the news the last few days

as critical of President Trump for not answering questions about the Americans killed so far in the war

or addressing their families. Congressman, thanks for coming on. Welcome back to WNYC.

Thanks for having me, Brian. For you who served in Iraq, what do you think about the comparisons

being made between the two wars, especially that like George W. Bush, Trump has deposed

a Middle Eastern leader with no plan for what comes next. How much of history repeating itself

do you see or not? It's infuriating. Maybe history doesn't repeat, but it certainly rhymes very

strongly here. And you know, you have a war that is built ultimately on a foundation of mistruths and lies. You have another generation of patriotic young Americans going to fight in an open-ended regime-change war. And in this case, even worse than George W.

Bush, there wasn't even an attempt, even a token surface effort to have a good faith conversation

with the American people and the Congress as their representatives about what is the cost?

What is the cost in our hard-earned tax dollars? And what is the cost,

God forbid, as we're experiencing now, in flag-draped coffins coming back from another regime

change war in the Middle East? When you were in Iraq, did you feel like you understood the

reasons for that war? and does understanding the reasons matter

to troops on the ground? I think it matters tremendously. I mean, the idea of giving one's life

for something greater than yourself is undergirded by a belief in the values. And it's really about

a trust that I'm signing up.

I was 18, ultimately when I chose to go to West Point.

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