Getting Back to Business...Ending the War in Iraq

With Thanksgiving behind us, Americans are preoccupied with the holiday season. What's true about this year, as with every holiday season since 2003, is that tens of thousands of American troops are on the ground in Iraq (130,000 in November 2003 and 175,000 in November 2007), and the President refuses to provide the American people with a responsible plan to bring them home.

Though the President declared "Mission Accomplished" after only 42 days of this war, the American people have now waited 1,713 days since the initial invasion for him to provide us with a responsible plan for transitioning our forces and bringing them home.

The Democratic Congress has a plan. The House of Representatives passed a $50 billion spending bill that provides for the safety of our troops on the ground while requiring the President to begin redeployment of our troops, with a goal of having them home by Christmas 2008. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans continue to stand by the President rather than the American people's call for a new direction in Iraq.

Our troops have done their job. It is not a question of whether or not American troops can be successful. They have been. It is now the Iraqis who need to be as well. The purpose of the surge was to provide a window for the Iraqi Government to make the political reconciliations necessary to achieve stability. Unfortunately they are paralyzed by political stalemate.

As former top U.S. Commander in Iraq Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, U.S. Army retired, said this weekend, "the improvements in security produced by the courage and blood of our troops have not been matched by a willingness on the part of the Iraqi leaders to make the hard choices necessary to bring peace to their country. There is no evidence that the Iraqis will choose to do so in the near future or that we have an ability to force that result..."

"The funding bill passed by the House of Representatives last week, with a bipartisan vote, makes the proper preparation of our deploying troops a priority and requires the type of shift in their mission that will allow their numbers to be reduced substantially," said General Sanchez. "Furthermore, the bill puts America on the path to regaining our moral authority by requiring all government employees to abide by the Army Field Manual on interrogations, which is in compliance with the Geneva Conventions."

As we begin the fifth consecutive holiday season without a redeployment plan from the President, we are faced with two choices. Either we continue, 1,713 days later, to stick with a policy that sacrifices American blood and resources while putting no pressure on the Iraqi Government to make the political, economic, and diplomatic changes necessary for stability. Or we can listen to the American people, pass the Democratic plan to transition our forces, and bring them home by Christmas 2008.

Comments

[STFU2]

Haditha acquittals­/dismissal­s anyone?

"the worst rampage by US service members in the Iraq war, killing as many as 24 civilians in cold blood."

?

Semper Fi

[mellene]

Congress doesn't have the guts to end the war. They'll let the clock run until Bush is gone. Maybe Bush will invade Iran or Pakistan then the troops will be moved to one of those two countries.

[lisakaz]

Impeachment should never have been ruled out. Even if not used, it was the only weapon that can either make this president work within the desires of his own people or get rid of him if he won't. Congress made a HUGE mistake and I hope we don't continue paying beyond 08.

That said, I think you shoud have never said the "surge" was any kind of success. Since the goals of it were non-military, as announced by this "president", it has failed. The troops haven't failed but the strategy is a failure because it has not and will not achieve anything. Iraq remains a mess, if people have left, or have been killed or have moved suffiently to lower the body count. After years of war, this isn't even detente. It's all about extracting oil -- and staying in Iraq permanently to achieve an imperialistic goal. We should all recognize this. Why are more troops' lives being wasted, not to mention billions of dollars, for the benefit of Big Oil? Why aren't we developing the kinds of technology like Brazil has (don't they burn sugar?)? Unless the Dems do SOMETHING TANGIBLE we are in full meltdown freefalling FUBAR. When will the DC bubble figure it out?

[armondarg]

I am afraid the democrats will help bush again,and back down.How many times can they can they back down,when bush says BOO!,and still maintain some sense of creditability.They make him look stronger and stronger.The republicans have the GUTS to fillubester.LETS US SEE WHAT THE DEMOCRATS HAVE. ALL OF THEM!!!!

[skepticfromschenectady]

How about a THIRD PLAN Rep. Murtha?

The Democratic­-controlle­d House of REPRESENTATIVES of the American people refuses to pass any Bush war spending bills UNTIL and WHEN a veto-proof withdrawal is included.

[mamacat]

Thank you Sen. Murtha for being a voice for reason in an era of insanity.
This war and occupation has been bad for Iraq, the U.S., the MidEast, and the whole world.
Maybe if Bush had been smart enough not to invade the wrong country, history would have been very different. I understand that the wheels of government bend to the will of the people only slowly, if at all. I just wish that Bush and the neo-cons would pay attention to the message inherent in the results of the last election, and stop their bull-in-a-chinashop impersonation on the stage of world politics.

[birddog]

The democrats in congress must stick to their guns and keep passing the same bill every week and then get on the talk shows and defend this position. Bush is willing to lose another thousand troops just to stall out his term and try to put the blame on someone else for whatever happens. His phoney one man treaty for years in Iraq is all for his oil buddies which has been the goal since day one. Also remember it only takes a twenty minute vote to impeach Cheney first and then Bush. Don't let the issue of sending out his press sec. to lie to fade away.

[llozano]

If Congress would act in the interest of the people rather than getting re-elected they would get our troops out. However, being in Congress is a sure way to get a good pension, health care, and the way things are set up now if you play ball you will be almost guaranteed re-election. It will take us to vote the current group out and elect people who will go in their and do the job they are elected to do with no expectation of being returned to Congress. Know anyone with that kind of courage and conviction?

[Janelynne]

The battle for the hearts and minds in Iraq is over, and we are spending good money after bad. But Bush will not only NOT end the war, he will not allow the war to be ended. All we can do is to starve the war, just as Bush has been starving the American people. I say we do it, and we starve Bush and the Conservatives in the Senate as well. Bush has ruined our reputation and our economy. Getting America back will take slow and steady determination, to stand up to the obscenities of the Bush years, and move the country forward. No more supplementals, no more funds for the contractors, no more war money: Just check mate money. We have one year to stop the right wing momentum headed in the wrong direction, and to chart a new course for the next President. It will be a slog all the way.

[deminmo]

Mr. Murtha, the President and the Iraqi
government have no incentives for changing
anything in Iraq. When Congress gave Bush a
limited amount of funding, he told the Pentagon
to start cutting jobs. Or at least threaten to.

Bush wants 196 billion. He wants to strike Iran
after the first of the year. And when he does
the troops in Iraq can kiss coming home
goodby. We can also expect no elections in 08'
and without doubt at some point, a draft. If
he wants, Bush could put us under martial law
because he alone has given himself power to
do anything.

Without doubt the very tired and often sick at
heart troops will be mired in Iraq for at
least 10 years. If they are lucky.

[LibKat]

I WANT CONGRESS TO PASS THE DEMOCRATIC PLAN TO TRANSITION OUR FORCES. I HAVE WRITTEN REPEATEDLY TO MY CONGRESSMEN, NEWSPAPERS, ETC.IT IS SO FRUSTRATING.
WHAT MORE CAN A PATRIOT DO?

[clifwest]

Rep. Murtha,

I have been a registered Democrat for fifty-three years. Do I know what the majority of Americans want, no? Neither does anyone else! Do I want this nation engaged in a war anywhere? No, and I doubt that anyone else does either, unless war is his or her profession. Do I realize the threat that Islamic terrorism poses on the world? I would have to be living in a cave to not realize that these people want to destroy all democracies, everywhere. Why? I would imagine because they want to control the minds of all people everywhere, and, if not their minds, their bodies. How do you stop a fanatic? You destroy him or her before he or she destroys you, or kiss your rear end goodbye. Shame on you and yours for asking the American people to kiss their rear ends goodbye by ignoring everthing but ourselves!

[Geoark]

Dear Congressman Murtha,
Thank you for supporting the movement to end the occupation of Iraq.
However, as long as we continue to support an economic system of oligarchy and monopolistic capitalism, we will continue to end up in more Iraqs and Vietnams.
We need to get to the root causes of war by adopting a new economic system that goes by various names including Earthrights Democracy, Geo-Classical Economics, Geonomics, or what I call Sustainanomics.
The system is very simple. Let us quite taxing production (both Labor AND Capital) but, instead, raise revenues from the use of our Earth's natural resources via user fees. Also, let's use this revenue to pay for community services, to conserve and restore natural habitat, AND to provide every person with “Earth Inheritance” safety net funding that would consist of retirement accounts, health savings accounts, and supplementary funds for education, food, shelter and energy conservation.
Such a system will provide more economic freedom, social and economic fairness, and ensure a hopeful and sustainable future.
Please take these messages of Sustainanomics to your fellow Congressmen:
Tax Bads, Not Goods;
Tax Waste, Not Work;
Tax Pollution, Not Production;
Tax what we take, not what we make;
Tax human entropy, not human effort!
Thank you.

[Honest George]

Dear Rep. Murtha,
I agree with you but we have heard it all before a couple of times. The only out I can see are the 08 elections.We need Democratic victories inthe White House, Senate and Congress.They do what they want in Iraq and we can't do anything about it now.

[Not Blind]

Mr. Murtha,
There never was a plan for democracy, freedom nor for a political or diplomatic stability or reconciliation in Iraq. Our mission was to topple Saddam Hussein--bag one of Israel's enemies, and gain control of Iraq's oil reserves for our own greed. We've put in a weak leader who has little, if any authority or power to rule, in essence to continue the chaos, while we continue raping and pillaging their resources.
If you and other Congressional leaders are serious about ending this war, STOP FUNDING IT altogether! The money isn't supporting our troops, but no-bid private contractors profiting from this war. The Pentagon makes wounded (or families of) dead soldiers pay for lost or damaged equipment, return signing bonuses (because they didn't complete their full tour of duty), reducing payments for overseas duty, medical benefits, down-grading disabilities, extending their time overseas, while not ensuring adequate down-time or rest between re-deployments. The "Support Our Troops" mantra is false. Even today, troops are paid $29,000, and many of their families must rely on welfare, food stamps or take extra jobs to support themselves. Troops are sent into battle with insufficient training and inadequte equipment. Veteran's hospitals nation wide are either in deplorable condition or closed, so disabled and ill veterans must wait months to be treated.
If you and your colleagues are frustrated seeing profiteers waste grotesque sums of tax-payer's money, then stop giving it to them!
If you and your colleagues are humiliated that you were duped by bogus threats, fear-mongering rhetoric getting us into Iraq, then you should support HR333, begin serious investigations into this administration, Blackwater, the telecommunications and other firms who profited handsomely while lying to you and the public, circumvented civil and legal rights of citizens and dismissed the checks & balances with recess appointments, signing statements and secrecy.
Complaining and writing about this won't stop Bush. Action is needed.