Have you seen the headlines? President Bush is quietly negotiating an
agreement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to keep our troops
there indefinitely--an agreement that could include permanent bases and a
massive military presence for years!1 Bush is trying to tie the hands of
the next administration to keep us in Iraq for the foreseeable future.2
This is a pivotal moment--the agreement is still in the planning stages
and if we don't act now, we could be stuck in Iraq for decades.
It's critical to push Democrats into opposing this. Right now, President
Bush's troop reduction plan has fooled some people into thinking we're
headed toward an exit in Iraq--but this move makes it clear he's
literally
committing the U.S. to a war with no end. It's an extreme policy and
Congress can stop it--but whether they do depends on how loud we are.
Can you sign the petition demanding that Congress act to stop the
president from committing to a massive military presence in Iraq for
decades? We'll deliver your comments to your representatives by the end
of
the week--there's no time to waste. Visiting here will add your name:
http://pol.moveon.org/endless/o.pl?id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=3
After you sign, please forward this email to friends, family and
colleagues--we all need to speak up together.
News reports indicate that the White House is negotiating an agreement
with al-Maliki that could include permanent bases, a massive military
presence in the Middle East, and dibs for U.S. investors, which "could
provide a huge windfall if Iraq can achieve enough stability to exploit
its vast oil resources."3 Talking Points Memo summed up the agreement
best, saying:
"That means that during Bush's last year in office, the administration
will work out the terms of the U.S.'s stay in Iraq in order to, at the
very least, seriously constrain the next administration's options for
ending the U.S. presence."4
Already Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senators Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd and
Barack Obama have begun to draw a line in the sand over this, saying that
permanent bases are unacceptable. 5 But opposing permanent bases isn't
enough. Democrats have to act to stop Bush's move to force us into an
endless occupation in Iraq.
An agreement like the one that Bush is negotiating has implications
beyond
Iraq. Bush administration officials have indicated that a long-term
presence in Iraq is necessary to deter what they call "Iranian mischief"
in the region6--meaning that an ongoing commitment in Iraq could also
pave the way to an escalation of war with Iran.
News of this agreement broke the very same day that the New York Times
reported that the Bush administration is giving up on the benchmarks it
had set for the Iraqi government.7 Giving up on these benchmarks means
that there is no pressure on the Iraqi government to create political
reconciliation. Combine that with news of this agreement, and we run the
risk of having our troops bogged down in Iraq for decades.
This moment is critical and your voice is urgently needed. The agreement
that President Bush is negotiating is still in the planning stages and if
enough of us speak out we can get Congress to block him from making yet
another reckless foreign policy mistake--one that could cost thousands of
American and Iraqi lives.
We need to send Congress a message they can't ignore: Block an endless
war
in Iraq now--before it's too late. Click here to add your name.
http://pol.moveon.org/endless/o.pl?id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=4
Thanks for all you do,
--Nita, Justin, Tanya, Wes, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, November 29th, 2007
Sources:
1. "White House Releases "Principles" for Permanent Iraqi Presence,"
Talking Points Memo, November 26, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004772.php
Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and General Douglas Lute, Assistant to the
President for Iraq and Afghanistan, November 26, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3206&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=5
2. "White House Releases "Principles" for Permanent Iraqi Presence,"
Talking Points Memo, November 26, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004772.php
3. "Iraq to Seek Long-Term US Presence," Associated Press, November 26,
2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3207&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=6
4. "White House Releases "Principles" for Permanent Iraqi Presence,"
Talking Points Memo, November 26, 2007
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/004772.php
5. "Dodd Responds: No Permanent Bases in Iraq." Talking Points Memo,
November 26, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3208&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=7
"Hillary to Bush: No Permanent Bases in Iraq," DailyKos, November 27,
2007
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/11/27/145834/22
"Obama Responds To Permanent Bases Story--Falls Short Of Full
Opposition,"
Talking Points Memo, November 27, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3209&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=8
"President Should Take Responsibility for His Failed Iraq Policy,"
Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, November 26, 2007
http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=959
6. "U.S. and Iraq to Negotiate Pact on Long-Term Relations," New York
Times, November 27, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3210&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=9
7. "U.S. Scales Back Political Goals for Iraqi Unity," New York Times,
November 25, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3211&id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=10
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is
entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate
contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff
ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support
our work, you can give now at:
http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE&t=1
1
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
________________
Subscription Management:
This is a message from MoveOn.org Political Action. To change your
email address or
update your contact info, please visit
http://moveon.org/subscrip/coa.html?id=11723-4798139-bb3qTE
To remove yourself (george kirkpatrick) from this list, please visit our
subscription management page at:
http://moveon.org/s?i=11723-4798139-bb3qTE
--
when you believe the only tool you have is a hammer.
All problems look like nails.
.
|
