Support BINDING Legislation To Stop Bush's Escalation In Iraq

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http://www.peaceteam.net/no_escalation2.php

Support BINDING Legislation To Stop Bush's Escalation In Iraq

In the Senate, Ted Kennedy has introduced S. 233 which would prohibit the White House from spending any federal funds on an increase of troop levels in Iraq without express Congressional consent. On the House side, Marty Meehan's H. Res. 41 would require a parallel authorization. Dennis Kucinich is also bringing forward a resolution to actually mandate a phased withdrawal and we will support that too when it is introduced.

With regards to the Kennedy bill, Harry Reid was quoted yesterday as saying he would "prefer" a non-binding resolution as way of sending a "message" to the president. Despite his recent letter advocating against the escalation, on the point of what actual action to take Harry Reid has it wrong. The only message non-binding resolutions would send is that Congress lacks the courage to confront the incorrigible bullies in the White House. We might as well set up a special conference room in the Capitol for public hand wringing. By defying absolutely the entire rest of the government not including his few remaining quislings, George Bush is deliberately FORCING a Constitutional crisis. We have no choice but to stand up to him directly and immediately.

There were many entirely false premises in Bush's awkward and uncomfortable speech last night. But central to it all was the assertion that the Iraqi people want us in their country to bring them our wonderful democratic system of government. That time is long past. Absolutely every poll there demonstrates they overwhelmingly want us to just leave.

It's not just Democrats, there are many Republicans who increasingly alarmed by the new Bush lurch in the direction of sheer madness. Chuck Hagel was quoted as saying, "This is a dangerously wrong-headed strategy that will drive America deeper into an unwinnable swamp at a great cost." That's an understatement. Although all the pre-speech marketing was about some kind of temporary "surge," Bush used that word not one time in his prepared statement. Instead he painted a picture of at LEAST another year of ever increasing violence, backed up with barely veiled threats to wage full scale war on BOTH Iran and Syria.

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