Wis. communities will vote on whether to get out of Iraq

[Barrett808]

Wis. communities will vote on whether to get out of Iraq
By Judy Keen, USA TODAY

Cheryl Hurst doesn't hesitate when asked whether U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq. "Bring them home," the 47-year-old restaurant manager says. "They've been there long enough."

Matthew Persons, 30, is just as emphatic. "Leave them there until the job is done," says the Air Force veteran, who works for an aviation company. "Pulling out won't solve anything and will let the terrorists know that what they do works."

On Tuesday, they can express their disparate opinions in a voting booth. People in 32 communities across Wisconsin, including Evansville, will vote on referendums calling for the "orderly and rapid" withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. This town of 4,000 is the only place where residents also will vote on a separate referendum stating that U.S. forces should remain until "unquestioned victory is clearly won."

The outcome won't carry any legal weight here or in Washington. But if all the anti-war measures pass, politicians might not be able to ignore the results, says Kenneth Mayer, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"If enough people are willing to say 'enough,' and elected officials start thinking they need to be responsive, it will embolden opponents of the war and ... the administration will have to take that into account," he says.

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060331/ts_usatoday/wiscommunitieswillvoteonwhethertogetoutofiraq

[midnight]

1. Good to know.

I'm in Wisconsin and will look for it on the ballot-Thanks!

[dragonlady]

4. It depends on where you live

It's not a statewide thing. Each municipality that wanted a referendum had to collect signatures to put it on the ballot. The wording of each is a little different, too.

[sabra]

2. go WI!

:kick:

[rodeodance]

3. go for it.