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TechnoratiHouse Members to Obama: Rethink Afghanistan Surge
Congressional Democrats and Republicans are signing on to a letter urging President Obama to reconsider his plan to surge tens of thousands of additional U.S. troops into Afghanistan.
"Mr. President, in reviewing the past history of Afghanistan and the nations that have failed to conquer it -- Russia spent nine years in Afghanistan and lost many billions of dollars and more than 15,000 Russian soldiers-- we urge you to reconsider the decision to send an additional 17,000 troops and to resist pressure to escalate even further," reads a "Get on the Right Side of History" letter that has attracted the support of House Democrats Representative Neil Abercrombie, of Hawaii; John Conyers of Michigan; Bob Filner and Mike Honda of California; Steve Kagen of Wisconsin; Marcy Kaptur and Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.
Also signing the letter are Republicans Roscoe Bartlett, of Maryland, Howard Coble and Walter Jones Jr. of North Carolina; John Duncan of Tennessee; Ron Paul of Texas, and Ed Whitfield of Kentucky.
The full letter from the House members reads:
Dear Mr. President:We have noted with some concern your announcement that an additional 17,000 US troops would be sent to Afghanistan. As the goals of our seven year military involvement remain troublingly unclear, we urge you to reconsider such a military escalation.
If the intent is to leave behind a stable Afghanistan capable of governing itself, this military escalation may well be counterproductive. A recent study by the Carnegie Endowment has concluded that "the only meaningful way to halt the insurgency's momentum is to start withdrawing troops. The presence of foreign troops is the most important element d riving the resurgence of the Taliban."
The 2001 authorization to use military force in Afghanistan allowed military action "to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States." Continuing to fight a counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan does not appear to us to be in keeping with these directives and an escalation may actually harm US security.
In a tape released in 2004, Osama bin Laden stated that al Qaedas' goal was to "bleed.. .America to the point of bankruptcy" in Afghanistan. He continued, "All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note..."
We would do well to pay attention to these threats and to avoid falling into any such trap through escalation of our military presence in Afghanistan.
We are also concerned that any perceived military success in Afghanistan might create pressure to increase military activity in Pakistan. This could very well lead to dangerous destabilization in the region and would increase hostility toward the United States.
Mr. President, in reviewing the past history of Afghanistan and the nations that have failed to conquer it -- Russia spent nine years in Afghanistan and lost many billions of dollars and more than 15,000 Russian soldiers-- we urge you to reconsider the decision to send an additional 17,000 troops and to resist pressure to escalate even further.
In addition to the House members who have signed on, the letter has also been endorsed by religious, political and policy advocates from across the ideological spectrum, including:
Michael D. Ostrolenk, President, American Conservative Defense AllianceMary Ellen McNish, General Secretary, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, co-founders, CODEPINK: Women for Peace
Erik Leaver, Foreign Policy In Focus
Joe Volk, Executive Secretary, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Tom Hayden
Phyllis Bennis, New Internationalism project, Institute for Policy Studies
Robert Naiman, Senior Policy Analyst, Just Foreign Policy
Yifat Susskind, Communications Director, MADRE: Rights, Resources, and Results for Women Worldwide
(Rev.) James Kofski, Associate, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
Dave Robinson, Executive Director, Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
John Leinung, Steering Committee, September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Charlie Clements, President and CEO, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator, United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ is a coalition of 1,400 national and local organizations.)
Michael Eisenscher, National Coordinator, U.S. Labor Against the War
Kevin Zeese, Executive Director, Voters for Peace
Former Congressman Tom Andrews, Director, Win Without War (WWW is a coalition of more than 40 national groups, many with religious affiliations.)
Susan Shaer, Executive Director, Women's Action for New Directions
17 Comments so far
Show AllWE are not a country ruled by the executive branch, exclusively. Congress should grow a pair and pass the necessary legislation to end all military campaigns in both Iraq and Afghanistan immeadiately. Thay have the power to do so, if they wanted. So why don't they? Ask yourself that question and quit voting for the same; stayed so long here they believe they are above their constituents, sorry asses and vote them out.
Narcissistic leadership is all Mr. Obama exhibits. But, the narcissism of the American people made him possible.
The "me generation" is now ruling.
Hoytdouglas, exactly to this effect, and in case anyone is still reading this string of comments, don't miss Stan Smith's posting couple of days ago on Counterpunch. http://www.counterpunch.org/smith04022009.html He says our "culture" of celebrity narcissism leads us to elevate leaders about whom we know substantively very little except they are "rock stars." It's all a matter of "branding" and making association with that brand a mark of peer acceptance. (At least that's the way I interpret his comments.)
Congress can stop the war funding, but they're signing a letter instead.
-TIA
Folks, I think we’ve reached the point where if we lay down politically and don’t act, the animals are going to rape us to death.
So let us call a Gnr'l Stryke - right from here. Nobody goes to work on Wednesday the X Day - we call in sick "Sorry boss, puking and vomiting and diarrhea all night long. Not in today." Call and leave the message at 5am (can't argue with a message) - SICK OUT. And maybe somebody decides to sit down that day with 100000 of their close friends in the middle of Main Street - every Main Street - in waves. It would put the Fear of Jahweh into their gutless little hearts and after we've done it for the 3rd time - shut this nation down - we might start to get some of the programs and relief that the current Overseer promised. 3 Days that could change history. Interested?
1. Out of Iraq/Afghanistan NOW
2. Single Payer NOW
3. Card Check NOW
If we hit those points, it will start an avalanche. Out of Iraq puts our Thumb in the eye of the MIC and frees BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of our $$$ to work here at home; Conyers Medicare for all DESTROYS the Corporate lock on Health Care and frees massive sums not spent on corporate richfilth animals. Out of Iraq puts our Thumb in the eye of the MIC and frees BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of our $$$ to work here at home. Card Check - as originally written - changes the balance of power in the workplace. Those three will shatter the dam.
What is step #1? Setting a date, listing the points, and a two paragraph agenda? Give us clue. We can just make this up as we go along but experience is best.
I'm tired of talking folks. It is past time we reminded these animals of what real Americans are about when they get fed up with richfilth bullies who think they own our world. THEY DON'T, we've just let them use it a lot longer than we should have. WE HAVE CHANGED OUR MIND.
Our parents and grandparents did not fight Adolf Hitler so that we could lay down for the grandchildren of the double Traitor Prescott Bush, and his current Overseer. No more Richfilth Traitors making our country a land of torturers, usurers, and degraded despots.
This is our last real shot. After this, there's nothing but waiting for us but the buses to the camps and hoping you got a high number - or we could stage 3 Days that change America. One thing I can tell you and I think John Nichols and Ms. Sheehan and Randi Rhodes might agree: They are terrified of us.
When stand up and stick together and "stay as one" - we defeat them and they know it.
So, once again, are you ready to Sick Out?
Peace.
Barbara Lee was the only one who voted no against the resolution to invade Afghanistan.
And most of the "peace groups" who signed it actively worked for Obama saying
"We hope the escalation of Afghanistan is the one campaign promise he doesn't keep"
Weird, I wasn't asked to sign on to the letter.
Listen to my Soapbox radio show called Obama's Vietnam with Ray McGovern:
http://www.cindysheehanssoapbox.com/LISTEN.html
Peace
Cindy
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to every one striking at the root" HD Thoreau
You're right Cindy, my mistake: was Barbara Lee (who I only wish were President of the U.S.A. right now), not Lynn Woolsey, who cast that lone vote against the Afghan invasion. And you're right too, about the "peace groups" who shamefully supported Obama despite his escalation pledges. But I don't think it's "weird" they didn't ask you to sign, as you've never been part of that "go along coalition" of "progressives" like Tom Hayden who want to have their anti-war cake while allowing the hawkish Obama to devour it.
exactly!
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to every one striking at the root" HD Thoreau
Great and apt Thoreau quote, Cindy.
To follow up, is militarism the root? Corporate capitalism? Racism? Sexism? Religious and/or cultural bigotry? The quest to control natural resources? American exceptionalism? Individual greed? Ignorance? Sin?
Does evil have a single root like a dandelion, or many roots like a tree?
And remember, sometimes when you cut off every single leaf, petal, twig and branch, the whole plant does indeed wither and die.
Bill from Saginaw
Don't expect our warmongering corporate media to cover this story.
Barack Obama, King of the Kibo Rifles. (Kibo is decades old slang for one of those portable outhouses you can't actually utilize because the stink of shit is so overpowering).
Congress got us into this mess. It's so wonderfully nice to see a few of them doing something other than continuing to ignore their responsibility to get us out.
Congress specified the goal of our military effort against al-Qaeda and the Taliban as 'preventing future terrorism' by our enemies.
I would like someone to ask our corrupt, despicable and useless Congress "How could you believe that we can militarily prevent future behavior forever?".
Or how about "How could you believe that groups can be eradicated forever and ever when the world hasn't even rid itself of Nazis, despite all the effort of the last 60 years?" (...raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda...)
We can't prevent the future and we can't eradicate al-Qaeda to the point that we can start planning for the victory parades.
There's no way we can achieve the victory conditions that the monkey-brained imbeciles in Congress chose to set into law. A war to prevent the future cannot be won, only lost or continued as long as resources are surged in to avoid the inevitable defeat.
Congress must reverse the idiotic and dangerous course they set back in 2001, when they passed Public Law 107-40 ("AUMF") and allowed the President to declare war against enemies to be named later.
Since, I seem to be the first to respond to this article:
Please feel free to add my name to this list.
Oops! Me bad. Me 2nd.
Especially, since we funded and armed Al Queada and the Taliban to wage that 9 year war against the Russians, then abandoned and sold them out.
It's amazing all these Republican's were mute when Bush started the war in Afghanistan. A war that any person with half a brain in their head knew we would lose in the end. Because the Russian's tried it and bankrupted themselves in the process. But, now they have amazingly gotten a voice to signal a warning. Truly phenomenal!
Why single out "all those Republicans" (all 6 of them) who signed the letter? How about "all those Democrats" (all 8 of them)? Unless I'm mistaken, all of the 8 (including Kucinich) as well as all of the 6 voted for legislation "authorizing" the Afghan invasion. (Lynn Woolsey being the lone vote against) If the Republicans were brain dead in 01, so were the Democrats, along with almost the whole American population. No matter the prospect of success of the invasion, our national "pride" required that we make that response.
Actually, both Dems and Reps signed on to go after Bin Laden. Now some Repugs are trying to rescue the conservativism that modern war-mongering conservatives utterly discredited by posing as restrained old conservatives.
The six Repuks are trying to hedge a failure. They are buying a credit default swap to score politically at Demoks' expense in the event of Demok failure in Afghanistan. The Repuks haven't a clue much less a desire to serve the public interests. The Demoks did exactly the opposite to score off the Repuks' reign of failure. Yet their goals remain the same, to control the orifice, and 100 million USans apparently approve!