Tom Andrews
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Tom Andrews, a former Member of Congress from the first Congressional District of Maine, is President and Chief Executive Officer of United to End Genocide. Tom most recently served as National Director of Win Without War, a coalition of forty national membership organizations promoting a more progressive democracy and human rights throughout the world including Indonesia, Cambodia, Yemen, Algeria, Serbia, and Ukraine among many others. A long-time advocate of democracy and human rights in Burma, Tom has worked closely with the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma, facilitated the creation of the European Burma Network and served as General Secretary of the Nobel Peace Laureate Campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi. Tom is a Senior Advisor to the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Tom was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 1982, in Maine Senate in 1984 and the United States House of Representatives in 1990. Tom also served as president of New Economy Communications a not-for-profit organization providing strategic planning and communication services to individuals and groups advancing labor and human rights issues.

Andrews grew up on a farm in Easton, Massachusetts and moved to Maine to attend Bowdoin College where he earned a degree in Philosophy and Religion. A turning point in his life was the discovery of cancer in his right leg at the age of sixteen. "I made one of those classic deals with the Almighty: Let me live and I'll make it worth your while. I have literally been trying to keep my end of the bargain ever since." His home is in South Portland Maine.

Blog Entries by Tom Andrews

The Pentagon's Dirty Deal

(1) Comments | Posted May 29, 2012 | 3:12 PM

Should U.S. taxpayers be forced to subsidize the mass murder of Syrian civilians?

Despite objections from both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, the Pentagon believes so. That is why it is fighting congressional attempts to shut down a no-bid contract worth $1 billion to the Russian...

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I Was George Clooney's Cellmate

(46) Comments | Posted March 18, 2012 | 9:50 PM

I looked out on the crowd of protesters that had marched to the Sudanese embassy yesterday to protest Omar al-Bashir's mass murder of his people. Directly in front of me was a mob of reporters and photographers elbowing for position to hear what George Clooney had to say and catch...

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Secretary Clinton: Action, Not Words for Sudan

(3) Comments | Posted November 18, 2011 | 11:27 AM

Wanted war criminal and Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir continues to ratchet up a campaign of violence and humanitarian assault that, if left unchecked, could one day equal his achievement in Darfur. His latest attacks included bombing villages in South Sudan, targeting refugees and creating conditions that could lead...

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Fire Lt. General Caldwell Now and End the "Psy-Ops" Against Congress

(7) Comments | Posted February 24, 2011 | 12:06 PM

Lt. General William Caldwell needs to be fired. Now. General Caldwell, a three star general in charge of training Afghanistan troops allegedly ordered that the Army's arsenal of psychological weapons of war be trained on Members of Congress and other "VIPs" in order to manipulate them into giving...

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What the President Won't Say About Afghanistan

(2) Comments | Posted December 16, 2010 | 10:03 AM

Few were surprised that the Obama administration reports "signs of progress" in Afghanistan in their assessment of strategy in Afghanistan, released today. Yet numerous publicly available analyses -- including the Pentagon's own November 2010 "Report on Progress Toward Security and Stability" to Congress -- point to fundamental problems with...

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Gen. Petraeus' Catch-22

(6) Comments | Posted November 19, 2010 | 12:22 PM

President Obama is in Lisbon today for the NATO Summit on Afghanistan where political spinmeisters will be earning every dollar in their paycheck. Things are bad and getting worse there, notwithstanding the new and improved strategy announced a year ago complete with a commitment of 30,000 more US troops. Majorities...

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The Veterans' Trust Fund

(5) Comments | Posted November 11, 2010 | 10:17 AM

What are you doing on Veterans Day? Taking the day off? Sleeping in? Catching a parade? Going shopping?

How about taking five minutes to make a difference in the lives of veterans wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan while making it less likely that US soldiers of the...

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The Surge Worked. It Might Need to Again.

(1) Comments | Posted September 1, 2010 | 4:35 PM

While President Obama called on the nation on Tuesday night to "move beyond our differences" on the disastrous US Iraq policy, the Congressional Republican leadership -- John Boehner in the House and Mitch McConnell in the Senate -- were delivering high-octane speeches attacking the president for opposing the military surge...

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Gen. Petraeus' Nation Building Media Tour

(10) Comments | Posted August 17, 2010 | 2:25 PM

"That's why our troop commitment in Afghanistan cannot be open-ended -- because the nation that I'm most interested in building is our own."

That was the commitment President Obama made when he announced the military escalation of American troops in Afghanistan before an audience of...

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Looking Behind the Numbers of House Afghanistan Vote

(2) Comments | Posted July 28, 2010 | 5:26 PM

Yesterday the US House of Representatives failed to represent the majority of Americans who believe we should end the US led military occupation of Afghanistan and close the open ended military commitment to the second most corrupt government on earth. Instead, the US government will borrow an additional $33 billion...

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146 Votes Away From Afghanistan Exit

(0) Comments | Posted July 27, 2010 | 10:43 AM

The secret documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks provide 92,000 additional reasons why Congress should stop the U.S. war in Afghanistan. It will take 146 votes on the floor of the House to do so. Call your Representative now at (888) 493-5443 and tell them to vote no on the war...

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Grasping at 'Turning Points' in Afghanistan

(4) Comments | Posted July 22, 2010 | 2:48 PM

A front page story in today's New York Times threw a bucket of cold water on the Obama administration's latest attempt to declare yet another "turning point" for U.S. policy in Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was a font of enthusiasm about prospects in Afghanistan yesterday. As a conference...

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Picking Up Steam in the House

(2) Comments | Posted July 2, 2010 | 1:34 PM

Yesterday Congress moved one step closer to representing the majority of Americans who believe the war in Afghanistan has not been worth the sacrifice of over 1,000 American service members and $1 trillion and voting to end the war. Congressional opposition to our failed strategy in Afghanistan was reflected in...

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White House Ducks Afghanistan Exit

(1) Comments | Posted June 29, 2010 | 2:30 PM

It was difficult watching the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing of General David Petraeus today. The number one line of questioning - why the administration has established a date certain to begin withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan. Why this line of questioning? Because Republicans are enjoying putting the administration...

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3 Things You Missed in Rolling Stone's McChrystal Profile

(7) Comments | Posted June 23, 2010 | 2:49 PM

Unfortunately, President Obama missed an opportunity today to not only replace an out-of-control general but an out-of-control and failing strategy in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, mainstream media continue to miss the most serious story contained in the now famous Rolling Stone profile.

Michael Hastings' piece is about more than an adolescent...

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Firing McChrystal is Not Enough

(1) Comments | Posted June 22, 2010 | 1:47 PM

It's not enough to fire General McChrystal for his latest public act of insubordination. It's time to fire the entire Afghanistan strategy. How can Congress possibly appropriate an additional $33 billion to a General who does not believe in the mission, the Commander-in-Chief or the administration officials he so obviously...

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Courage Makes Appearance in Congress (VIDEO)

(4) Comments | Posted June 17, 2010 | 4:40 PM

You probably missed it, but General David Petraeus' easy ride through Congress yesterday was interrupted by three members of the House Armed Services Committee: Chellie Pingree of Maine, Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire and Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts. Fortunately for Petraeus, mainstream media had already fled the committee room before it...

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Where "Military Victory" Is an Oxymoron

(4) Comments | Posted April 7, 2010 | 1:48 PM

When it comes to Afghanistan, "military victory" is an oxymoron. Even President Obama and his Defense Secretary Robert Gates say so. Repeatedly.

The only path to peaceful resolution to the Afghanistan conundrum, they point out, is by winning the "hearts and minds" of the Afghan people.

That is why the...

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Washington At Its Worst: Stop the Gitmo Sell-Out

(0) Comments | Posted March 5, 2010 | 2:01 PM

It's getting even uglier in Washington DC.

Today, the Washington Post is reporting that President Obama's advisers are "nearing a recommendation" that the administration overrule Attorney General Holder's plan for a criminal trial for Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other Guantanamo Bay detainees and revert to Bush/Cheney military...

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Iraq Withdrawal in Danger

(3) Comments | Posted February 24, 2010 | 1:47 PM

Dear Mr. President: Scrap the Military's Contingency Plans for an Extended Stay in Iraq

Just when you thought that the proverbial fat lady was about to launch into an aria over the final withdrawal of US military forces in Iraq, the US military announced that it is drawing up contingency...

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