WASHINGTON - March 19 - The rising chorus of complaints from allied world leaders about being misled into the Iraq war underscores the need for Congress to hold the president accountable for deceiving Americans and our allies to justify the invasion and occupation of Iraq,” said former Congressman Tom Andrews, leader of Win Without War, the largest mainstream coalition of organizations that opposed last year’s invasion of Iraq. “Congress should censure the president for distorting and manipulating the truth.”

In a statement released yesterday, Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski said: “I feel uncomfortable due to the fact that we were misled with the information on weapons of mass destruction.” The newly elected Prime Minister of Spain said that President Bush, “… will have to reflect and engage in some self-criticism, so that things like that don’t happen again.”

“We can’t win the war against terrorism without allies, and we won’t have any left if our president’s word can’t be trusted,” Andrews said. “This is becoming a matter of our national security.”

“Since the president won’t admit error and take responsibility, Congress should act to reestablish our international credibility. The best way to restore the confidence of our allies is to pass a resolution that censures President Bush,” he added. “We have to send a signal that our leaders can be trusted in matters of war and peace.”

This week Win Without War held a press conference with mothers of US soldiers who served in Iraq, and delivered petitions for a censure resolution signed by over 500,000 Americans. On Saturday, MoveOn.org, a Win Without War member organization, will begin airing a TV ad calling for censure.

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