Strickland: Iraq war an "unnecessary tragedy"

Gongwer News Service, which covers everything Columbus, interviewed Gov. Strickland on Friday.

The highlights:

Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland on Friday called the war an "unnecessary tragedy," and said he would have voted against the funding had he still been a member of Congress.

"I wish the Congress had been stronger with the President. The American people have spoken. There is no doubt that the majority of the people in this country recognize the fact that we are headed in the wrong direction. There needs to be a change in policy," the governor said in an interview.

Gov. Strickland said Friday he voted against authorization of the war because he never felt the administration had properly made the case for it.

"And the war has been so terribly mismanaged, and it's been due to the decisions of our civilian leadership," he said.

"Our soldiers have done everything that's been asked of them and more. It's been the civilian leadership, led by people who never served themselves, who seem to have all the answers and refuse to recognize the reality that is occurring," Gov. Strickland said.

"And the result is continued loss of life, wasting of our nation's resources and a disintegration of our standing around the world. We need a change in direction and we need new leadership," he said.