Important Update: Congress Must Demand U.S. Troop Withdrawal!
Yesterday, when General Petraeus testified before the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees he made it crystal clear that the Bush Administration intends to keep a minimum of 140,000 U.S. troops in Iraq at least through the end of its term. This position was sharply criticized by some on Capitol Hill. But we’ve heard all this before.
What’s urgently needed is less talk and effective action by members of Congress. They have it in their power to stop this war, if they use it. They can refuse to allocate additional money for the war.
They can also co-sponsor and then vote for HR 5507, introduced by the leaders of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus. This is a strong bill that requires the rapid removal of all U.S. troops and security contractors from Iraq. It repeals the original authorization for the use of military force, bans permanent military bases, supports funding for Iraqi reconstruction, requires closure of all detention centers operated by the U.S. and contains many other valuable provisions including anti-torture language.
Without peace movement support, this bill will languish. The same members of Congress who complain loudly about the failure of the Bush strategy have been too timid to back this important remedy.
APRIL 10th NATIONWIDE CALL-IN DAY
We hope you will send a message to your members and others in your community about the nationwide Congressional call-in day that will take place tomorrow, Thursday, April 10th. Callers should:
1) Emphasize that it is time to stop funding the war and occupation in Iraq - Congress must say no to the request for an additional $110 Billion!!
2) Call on their Representatives in the House to co-sponsor HR 5507 and bring all the troops home!
If you have time you might also want to watch some of the testimony from the recent Winter Soldier hearings organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War. There is a lot of very powerful material there, and information that can make your calls to Congress even stronger. Visit the IVAW website at: http://www.ivaw.org <http://www.ivaw.org/>
John Bruhns
Legislative Action Coordinator
United for Peace and Justice
