March 23, 2008

I am writing to you again so quickly because there is an urgent need for action today.

The Pentagon has decided not to allow the outgoing Commander of the U.S. Central Command, who was responsible for the overall military strategy and actions in the Middle East, to testify before Congress. See article below for details.

This is a time of critical foreign policy decision making and the American public needs to have testimony under oath from Admiral Fallon. News reports indicate Admiral Fallon left due to disputes with the White House over whether a military attack on Iran should be pursued.

The U.S. should not move toward a military attack on Iran without public discourse on the subject. These should include congressional hearings where people like Admiral Fallon testify under oath about whether opening a third front of combat makes sense at a time when things are going so poorly in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

We request you do the following (doing all three will take less than one minute!):

Forward this email to people you know.

Contact the Pentagon; tell them that they should let Admiral Fallon testify. The American public needs to hear the views of the most senior military official for the Middle East.

Contact Congress and tell them to subpoena the testimony of Admiral Fallon. They have the power to require Admiral Fallon to testify. This is a critical juncture for U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. is already fighting a two-front war - and failing on both fronts - and should not be adding a third front in Iran.

Thank you for your time. We appreciate you taking action on this important request.

Sincerely,
Kevin Zeese
Executive Director
VotersForPeace

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Pentagon will not send Adm. Fallon to Congress on Iraq

REUTERS
Reuters North American News Service

Mar 21, 2008 12:06 EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Adm. William Fallon, who is resigning after a magazine reported he was challenging the White House over Iran, will not appear before Congress to discuss the war in Iraq, the Pentagon said Friday.

Only Gen. David Petraeus, top U.S. officer in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker will go to Capitol Hill in April to update lawmakers on the war, said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

“I know there have been requests in fact from members of Congress to have Admiral Fallon testify with Gen. Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker and I can tell you Admiral Fallon will not be testifying,” Morrell said.

Fallon, commander of U.S. Central Command headquarters responsible for the Middle East, said earlier this month that he would quit after Esquire magazine described him as urging President Bush to avoid war with Iran.

Fallon cooperated with the author during the article’s preparation but strongly criticized the story after it appeared.

He will hand responsibility to his deputy by the end of March but will remain an active-duty four-star officer.

Petraeus and Crocker are expected to testify to Congress in early April, offering lawmakers their first update on the war since the two went to Capitol Hill in September.

“The process that we used last time worked quite well and we’re going to stick with that again this time,” Morrell said.

Morrell pinned the decision against Fallon’s testimony to his resignation, saying Fallon would no longer be acting Central Command commander.

Asked if the Pentagon was concerned that lawmakers would use Fallon’s appearance to ask questions about Iran, Morrell said, no. (Reporting by Kristin Roberts, Editing by Jackie Frank)

Source: Reuters North American News Service

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