Don't Mend It, End It

Date: July 09, 2007 at 08:18:58
From: United for Peace, [ool-18b8cc6c.dyn.optonline.net]
Subject: Don't Mend It, End It

Congress returns from the 4th of July recess today (July 9th), claiming eagerness to confront Bush on the war in Iraq. Republicans are beginning to say publicly that they have lost patience with his conduct of the war. With that political cover, more Democrats should now be willing to vote for troops to come home. Starting today, the Senate will begin to vote on amendments to the Defense Authorization Bill related to the Iraq War, and the House will follow with a number of votes in the coming weeks.

So why aren't we satisfied?

Too many members of Congress may support a troop reduction but settle for a modified version of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. They may vote to bring "combat" troops home, but allow Bush to keep tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers in Iraq to "fight terrorism," protect U.S. installations and train Iraqi troops. And they are doing nothing to address the growing numbers of U.S. mercenaries involved in the occupation -- mercenaries now outnumber troops in Iraq. (Read this recent article in the Los Angeles Times for more details: http://www.latimes.com/business/local/la-na-private4jul04,1,7340256.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

UFPJ is concerned that many members of Congress will be willing to open the door to a permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq in exchange for the near-term withdrawal of some troops. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Defense Secretary Robert Gates and some allies in the Bush administration are seeking to build bipartisan political support for a long-term U.S. presence in Iraq by moving toward withdrawing significant numbers of troops from Iraq by the end of President Bush's term" (July 3, 2007). This is a dangerous development.

Call your senators and your representative TODAY! Tell them:

I know you will be faced with a number of votes on Iraq in the near future. I want you to support only measures that will bring all U.S. troops and military contractors home from Iraq immediately.

Do not allow any troops to be left behind.

Halfway measures to bring some troops home from Iraq are not acceptable -- a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq will only further destabilize the country and the region.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to the offices of your senators and representative. Find out who your members of Congress are here: http://capwiz.com/fconl/dbq/officials/

Background
The Senate will take up the $648 billion Defense Authorization Bill this week, and will consider a number of Iraq-related amendments including troop readiness standards, timelines for combat troop withdrawals, revoking authorization for the war and more. The exact language of most of these amendments is not yet available, and we cannot be certain of the timing of the votes. We can be certain that the Senate will vote a number of times this week on Iraq, so they must hear from us starting today!

Speaker Pelosi has promised that the House will vote on a number of Iraq measures in July, including combat troop withdrawal timelines, de-authorization for the war, and a ban on permanent U.S. bases in Iraq. As in the Senate, we are not yet certain which bills will be brought to the floor for a vote, or when.

As specifics become available, they will be posted at: www.unitedforpeace.org/congress

Looking Ahead
Votes in July on Iraq will be the prologue for a showdown on more funding for the war in September. That's when Congress will vote on $145 billion for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Congress will adjourn on August 3 for a month-long recess, giving peace and justice activists across the country another opportunity to make the case in their local communities for an end to the war and occupation. Check www.unitedforpeace.org/congress for resources and ideas for August actions in your state or district.

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