Following another deadly weekend in Iraq, Dennis Kucinich appeals to Bush to Rethink Escalation

[marmar]

From AfterDowningStreet.org:


Washington DC (Jan. 21) - US Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (Dem. OH) today called upon President Bush to rethink his policy of escalation in Iraq in the wake of the deaths of 25 more US servicemen in Iraq on Saturday, 12 in a helicopter crash and 5 in combat in Karbala. The deaths marked the third highest number of combat related US mortalities in Iraq on any given day since the start of the war. The President is preparing 21,500 more troops to send to the region to quell the rising insurgency.

"The President must see that emerging events argue strongly against an escalation. This is the time for an honest reappraisal, not a headlong surge over a cliff. The Administration is sending a procession of troops to their deaths on a mission impossible for a cause improbable. It is urgent that the President change his direction and begin to deescalate the war and bring our troops home alive," Kucinich said.

Last week Kucinich presented Congress with a 12-point plan which called for the United States to end the occupation, withdraw all troops and close all military bases in Iraq, simultaneous with reaching out to the world community for help in building an international security and peacekeeping force in Iraq.

"When the US indicates a new policy which renounces the occupation and unilateralism, the world will be ready to help." Kucinich said.

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Dear Friends,

Congress must stop funding the war. The money is there right now to bring the troops home and to set the rest of my plan in motion, which would stabilize Iraq and set the stage for peace in the region.

My plan is the only plan that has been presented by a member of congress which can be implemented quickly and facilitate the rapid withdraw of our troops.

It is time for congress to step up with constitutional responsibility to bring an end to the war. Unfortunately, every other member of congress who is running for president, who now says he or she opposes the war, have actually voted to fund it 100% of the time. It is simply not credible for anyone to say that he or she opposes the war, yet votes to fund it. Join me on the 27th of January at the peace march in Washington DC.

Thank you,

Dennis J Kucinich

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/17587

[still_one]

1. The reality is that we will be talking about this 5 years from now

I am quite pessimestic about 2008. Those that could get us out of Iraq do not stand a chance, or are not running.

There is a tremendous amount of money to keep us in Iraq, along with permanent bases, and the cost of 1000 Americans a year is expendable as far as they are concerned

I hope I am wrong, but I do not see most Democrats or republicans calling for us to completely get out of Iraq. They say it has to be a gradual draw down, or some other such excuse, which will go on for years

Perhaps the voting public can take back our country, but I doubt it

[Dhalgren]

2. Dennis is my candidate of POTUS. He gets 100% of my support.

Anyone who says we cannot follow Kucinich's plan needs to explain why - and not in those broad, mushy, aphoristic slogans so often used, but in real, hard-nosed terms. We have been brow-beaten into thinking that success (whatever that means) depends on some sort of US savior of the Iraqi situation. In reality our presence causes much more harm than good. We need to quit playing cowboy with other people's lives and let them go their own way. US out of Iraq NOW!

[KingofNewOrleans]

3. How can one rethink?

When one did not think to begin with?

[marmar]

4. You can't apply logic when Bush is involved....

Welcome to DU, King of NOLA! :hi:

[harveyc]

5. Rep. Kucinich is great!

He is showing the leadership that the leaders in Congress don't! Sen. Feingold has said more or less the same thing.

This says it all ... are you listening Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid?

"It is time for congress to step up with constitutional responsibility to bring an end to the war. Unfortunately, every other member of congress who is running for president, who now says he or she opposes the war, have actually voted to fund it 100% of the time. It is simply not credible for anyone to say that he or she opposes the war, yet votes to fund it. Join me on the 27th of January at the peace march in Washington DC."

[saltpoint]

6. It's a gauge of Kucinich's true spirit that the MSM disregards him.

ABC is frightened of him outright.

I'd take him as a pal or a president any day of the week.

[coalition_unwilling]

7. "Mission impossible for a cause improbable" -- that about says

it all in one little sound-byte.