Monday, November 13, 2006

Democrats to Press Bush to Reduce Troops in Iraq

SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and MARK MAZZETTI - New York Times:
"Leading Senate Democrats vowed today to use their new majority in Congress to press for troop reductions in Iraq within a matter of months, stepping up pressure on the administration just as President Bush is to be interviewed by a bipartisan panel examining future strategy for the war.

The Democrats -- the incoming majority leader, Senator Harry Reid; the incoming Armed Services Committee chairman, Senator Carl Levin; and the incoming Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. -- said a phased redeployment of troops would be their top priority when the new Congress convenes in January, even before investigating the conduct of the war."
We must hold the Democrats feet to the fire on this, people. The longer we mismanage this war by putting our troops in the middle of a civil guerilla war, the more Iraqi and American blood we will have on our hands.

The more we throw trillions of dollars to the military industrial complex to wage their illegal wars, the less money we have to fund healthcare for all Americans, Social Security, Education reform, and other badly needed programs.

The hypocrisy of politicians (like Lieberman) who support this war and profess to be socially liberal is missed by those who believe waging war and funding domestic programs are not mutually exclusive. They are. If we spend all the money on neo-con wars designed to put money in the pockets of the elite, there will be no money left for social programs at home.

The neo-cons want to privatize every aspect of government, as they have privatized unprecedented aspects of this war, in order to fill their own pockets. Touting an "ownership society" where everyone will prosper is a smoke and mirror, empty promise that in reality puts the majority of Americans at ever greater economic risk.

This war was immoral from the start. It must be stopped now. We owe it to the Iraqi's to help them achieve stability. We cannot succeed as long as we are an occupying force. The time is now. Stay vigilant. --TUC

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