President Bush's disastrous plan to escalate the war is no longer just a plan: it's a reality.
While the Senate was tied up in knots, President Bush extended tours of duty for thousands of our troops, transferred new brigades into the Middle East and ordered more soldiers into Baghdad: The surge has begun.
Bush has escalated the war - now we must escalate our efforts to stop it. Congress must force a change of course by capping funding to stop the surge and mandate a phased troop withdrawal within 12-18 months. We don't need endless debate; we don't need non-binding resolutions; we need to end this war. Only Congress has the power to do it, and only you can make Congress act.
Please take a minute today to call your senators and representatives. Ask them to take real, binding action to block the escalation and bring our troops home. Please call the capital switchboard right now at:
(202) 224-3121
Last month I called for Congress to stop the president's escalation before it began, and nearly 100,000 Americans have since added their name to that call. But now we need to go beyond addressing Bush's latest misstep and use all the power we have to bring this conflict to a close.
So today, I announced a comprehensive proposal to enact my plan to end the war and I'd like to share the key points with you. I believe Congress must:
- Stop the escalation and force an immediate withdrawal by using funding caps to restrict the total number of troops in Iraq to 100,000, which would require an immediate drawdown of 40,000-50,000 combat troops without stranding or underfunding a single soldier still in Iraq. Any troops beyond the 100,000 level should be redeployed immediately.
- Block the deployment of troops that do not meet readiness standards and that have not been properly trained and equipped. American Tax dollars must be used to prepare and supply our troops, not escalate the war. It is simply wrong to send our troops into harm's way without all the training and equipment they need.
- Make it clear that President Bush is conducting this war without authorization. The 2002 authorization did not give Bush the power to use U.S. troops to police a civil war. President Bush exceeded his authority long ago. He now needs to end the war and ask Congress for new authority to manage the withdrawal of the U.S. military presence and to help Iraq achieve stability.
- Require a complete withdrawal of combat troops in Iraq within the next 12-18 months without leaving behind any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.
But history teaches it will not be the politicians or the pundits who drive the real change - only the people themselves can do that. So let's get busy.
Please call the Capitol switchboard and ask to speak to your senators and representatives today:
(202) 224- 3121
Sincerely,
John Edwards
P.S. - If you haven't yet signed our petition opposing the escalation, you can add your name here.
   |
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 147
The administration knew why they were doing this. They just needed to sell it to the American public. So, they lied. The American public are such sheeep they and the media and unfortuantely congress just ate it right up.
Anybody who was opposed to it was called a "terrorist sympathiser", unpatriotic or "weak on terror" The media went along, and even perpetuated it.
So, now we are in a quagmire with no solution is sight.
They were warned of this happening. But as we have seen, this administration just does whatever it likes.
I am all for cutting off funding. Bush is hanging this "if you wont give mem the money to go kill more people then you dont support the troops" bull over congress's head. I for one am not buying it. Sending other's people children off to a blood bath does not take courage and it is not supporting the troops.
They really are just trying to stablize the region so that they can finish with the privatization of the oil fields. When they got there, the place where they just KNEW the WMDs were was ignored . They went straight to secure those oil fields.
Then they made Kalilzad ambassador. This guy was an advisor for Unocal on the pipeline deal in Afghanistan. Now he is being put up as ambassador to the UN.
Wow- I got on a little rant there :-)
Edwards for President 2008 (a group started by yours truly) and John Edwards for President (a group started by my friend Don S.). Glad to see you here, sir.
-sirius (my other blog name)
God save the country from your misguided ideas.
I supported you throughout the primaries last go round, and would like to continue to do so, but the issues have changed, as you should know. The war thing, yes, I agree with, but it doesn't seem that anything we think is going to influence Bush, and cutting off funding would play right in the Republican's hands, and allow them to blame us for any results of this debacle. The suggestion of Lost Soul seems to me to be a very valid concern, and an indorsement of single payer would set you apart from the rest and garner new enthusiasm from me.
Now, to those above that see disastrous consequences should we withdraw, I will suggest that there are going to be just as disastrous consequences should we stay. There is no good solution to this mess Bush and buddies got us into. It was a disastrous undertaking, from day one, and will be disastrous no matter what we try to do. Our policy will not be done there, as we already have enough evidence to know. Quit flogging this dead horse of yours. Our sons and daughters are dying of your stubborness, right now, every day we stay. You have to be thick as a brick to support this "Surge the Course" horsehocky.
Minor detail, the president in office was Richard Nixon. I believe the congress had a democratic majority.
Wow, that's pretty darned apocalyptic. Will it cause crops to fail and babies to be stillborn too?
We know you must have thick skin to even contemplate running for President in this day and age.
There is a lot of hate for we Democrats here .
Good luck you have my full support.
Would that the ticket had been the other way around the last time. I'm sorry, of course, that we have fraud in our elections and that Kerry bailed on you. The fraud and the pandering to special interests is slowly but surely being addressed. I do hear your passion; I heard it the first time around!
For those who talk about the hundreds of thousands of deaths -- [thank you George Bush, and Nanci]: When those same people "talk double talk" about death, they never mention the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of displaced, maimed and dead civilians. This is a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportion -- ignored. Darfur and other atrocities -- ignored; while war mongers prattle on about the dire necessity for "success" in Iraq and hurl the "traitor" world at those who SPEAK UP about it. ENOUGH! NO MORE!
"Success and victory" in Iraq. Call it by its real name, a dire necessity for oil and our drive for control of the entire region to feed our addiction -- in the name of democracy.
As Bush and Karl Rove knew, and as Kerry learned, there are many who are still fighting the cold war and, as an extension, the viet nam war and placing the blame everywhere but squarely on themselves -- because that's what they do -- blame, and lie, and MAKE WAR FOR PROFIT -- SHORT TERM greed and profit. Even Putin [no saint, I don't care what Bush saw when he looked deeply into his eyes, was honest enough to say that "communism was always a fairy tale." Now, it's "terrorism is gonna get you all" I'm way more afraid of George Bush and what he is doing to this country here and now than I'm afraid of terrorists. Not to say that we're prepared to defend ourselves here at home -- even against a hurricane!
Think of what we could do as a nation if we stop the mindless bloodletting in the middle east and elsewhere. Think what we could have accomplished and not degraded ourselves to -- by working with the rest of the world -- instead of trying to destroy the UN. Now, we might have to give up the humvees and quite a few other things. I would joyfully do that rather than continue to let a "volunteer" army get killed and destroy an entire region to ensure a short term supply of oil and plastic goodies from China. And, the latter dragon is not going anywhere any time soon -- especially as we owe, we owe, so off to war we go. As for star wars and missile shields, already in the works, at untold amounts -- because the Pentagon isn't really telling -- think how much health care and education that could buy. We already have an arsenal that can obliterate the world many times over -- yet we can't train the Iraqis.
Can you undo this Mr. Edwards -- and can you UNDO it singlehandedly? I don't think so. The Oval Office and our congress has been held captive to special interests for a long time now. We all need to do our part -- but we have not. Even now I hear, and have been hearing, certain repuglicans insinuating the words, "gloom and doomers." Sounds kinda familiar. We got gloom and doom all right -- and we know who we got it from. There IS a better way, a civilized and humanitarian way to be the great nation we once were.
Instead of asking Mr. Edwards what he will do for us -- let's speak up loud and clear to congress and the global elites -- starting with the oil companies -- USING OUR POCKETBOOKS. Midterm elections and a vote every four years obviously doesn't do it! Let's do our share on a regular basis and see how it turns out.
As you move forward across the tight rope, Mr. Edwards, I hope that you will keep the big picture in mind and remember that you have many supporters who know what happened and are clear headed about what CAN happen. There is much that can be done no matter the bends in the road!
This is long -- but opportunity knocked. God Bless.
Then we got rid of Saddam Hussein and let the Shiites have some power. Hmm, which sect of Islam runs Iran. Oopsies, now they're working together.
The other silly thing is that Saddam Hussein was no worse than a bunch of Latin American and Southeast Asian dictators we've supported actively. How come it was moral to get rid of Hussein but alsol moral to support, say, Somoza? I'm getting confused.
Again, Welcome.
No matter how you cut it or dice or slice it, we've got blood on our hands. One of Bush's mouthpieces [Sean McCormack I think] said that the Iranian's "are in it up to their eyeballs] and needless to say this was great fodder for Jon Stewart. The fact is we're in it--in Iran--up to our eyeballs as well -- fomenting and otherwise creating "democracy." Interesting story about the 11 Iranian Guards that were killed near the Pakistani border. So, let's face it -- it's regional -- and we're up to our necks at the very least, headed for eyeballs. What hapens, how do we get the troops out if it goes all to hell? Will some sane person tell us what's "really" going on?
No matter what, you've got my vote, if you can get there. Just don't get discouraged early, you are good at coming from behind, we already know that.
We have blood and "dirty" money, as in filthy lucre on our hands both in Iran and Iraq. Sometimes we even pay the terrorists -- oh, but then there are a million different ways to define "terrorist." eh? Wouldn't it be nice to have some TRANSPARENCY in our government -- but are we too childlike and misguided to be able to handle it? And, it might not be in our own best muddled little interests.
Ron Paul had some interesting things to say to Ben Bernanke about TRANSPARENCY vis a vis the FEDS!
And even as we write, Rice has Venezuela on her hit list and bragged [as much as she could for the "little people's ears"] about all the programs she's got in place round and about south of the border [except perhaps in Mexico--that's apparently all fixed]. Our ambassador there got in trouble, she says, because he was "playing baseball with the kids" and the "people" liked it, but the government didn't. TRANSPARENCY -- a little bit of transparency -- or the most rudimentary DIPLOMACY -- would be nice. She informed congress, haughtily, that she wouldn't indulge in rhetorical games with Chavez, "forgetting" I guess that she called him a thug while Lugar and others were trying to cut some oil deals with him.
Mr. Edwards, it's early days yet, but hope you're getting a diplomatic corp lined up. Maybe they could do double duty to deal with the "thuggish ones" who are already coming out of the woodwork here at home.
If you look at the most secretive administration in the history of the United States, and don't recognize that we could handle more transparency than this, well, thick as a brick is still the first words that come to my mind. Are we too childlike? I'd like to think not, if not spoon fed misinformation from a corporate media, and a white house propaganda machine. They even misquote famous leaders from our past to press their cases. If we could access the truth, all of us, on a daily basis, I would guess we wouldn't be as divided as we are, but that has been a specific goal, from the first of this adventure, to confuse, obfuscate, and trick. Now blinders have been lifted somewhat, but I fear too late to stem major damage to our country, our way of life, and our political systems. Some prefer to keep them tightly in place, and some of us never put them on in the first place, but the majority is just now starting to realize the mess we are in. It should be an interesting race this time. I don't even want to get into the Fed, and our monetary policy with regard to China, the deficit, printing money, etc. You do it Missy.
Ron and Buddy and I are buddies; I don't "think" he thinks I'm as thick as a brick -- they both understand my sarcasm. I'm certainly no economist, but I'm smart enough to know that the GDP can be propagandized the same as WMD was propagandized.
I manage to balance my budget and believe in PAYGO -- not make war now and "we the people" will pay later. Barney Franks had a few interesting things to say too: e.g., the old spin line: "The good news is that the GDP is up -- but the bad news is wages are rising." Mr. Bernanke did have the honesty to say that there is very often a very large margin between markup and unit labor cost. No kidding. But then, what does it matter if all the mousetraps are made in China? On the other hand, who needs to make mousetraps--even better ones--when there's burger king to bail us out -- two or three jobs are certainly better than no job -- and Bush wants plenty of guest workers so no problem -- those jobs won't go begging.
Printing money -- think we need Clarke M or one of the economists we have here at gather. I've never thought it was a particularly good thing to do, but maybe those repuglicans know something the rest of us paygo believers don't?
Mr. Edwards, perhaps those are the things you will talk about? What we all know in our gut and our wallets? Well, those of us who aren't in the wallstreet top 1%
We all know what's in our wallets and what isn't -- somebody say why?
Nah, you're good; did you see John Stewart's explanation of Iran?
Jai,
Idle hands are the devil's workshop [at least that's what my dad always used to say when he wanted us to do more work around the farm] but even better than that is the globalist wall street creed: "Impoverished workers are eager and willing workers -- and they don't fuss about things like health care!" Just ask walmart and Ford [they want R&D money from us but Grandson Ford announced they would be setting up shop in China]. NAM [National Association of Manufacturers] and the National Chamber of Commerce know about that too -- just ask Tom Daschle -- who was on their hit list.
Actually, I think a lot of us would like to see health care unhooked from employment -- since the latter is becoming a tricky preposition. If they don't want to pay health care -- fine -- let them go to china and sell cars someplace else. Perhaps some of us are willing to pay more to have a fuel efficient car made here --perhaps not -- free markets.
One thing that comes to mind, more than any domestically, is that most people don't realise the extent to which our world has been altered just by cronies appointments to various government agencies that have set policies to totally negate the mission of that agency, such as the FCC, the EPA, the FRA, OSHA, well, most all of them. This should be brought out in the campaign, and fixed at the earliest opportunity. Just a thought.
Thanks for bringing up afghanistan. Apparently the British cut a deal with the certain factions of the Talaiban and Waziristan [thanks Tony Blair -- I thought poodles were loyal at least]. So much for that working. Supposedly there is going to be a tet-like offensive from across the border in the spring -- 10,000 insurgents. While we were dithering around in Iraq and letting it become a killing field, Afghanistan just fell by the wayside and we're good buddies with Pakistan.
Bush is more than a little peevish that NATO isn't stepping up to the plate. Oh, the price of diplomacy.
John, if you know of women candidates, if you know of women who'd be good candidates, you go ahead and run but in the process give these women every kind of encouragement. PLEASE. And Thank you!
Let not personal ambition deter us, or any candidate for President, from the great task of undoing the damage of the Bush regime, detering him and his ilk from futher mischief and institute legislation that exposes and nullifies the conservative agenda.
I swear my uclers are going to come back... I truly grrr... I am walking away again for a few.. GRRRR
Aside from that, I am guess by you joining Gather it is in hopes to get more supporters correct? I just cant imagine that you have enought time to sit around and Gather with us day in and day out. So my question to you is if you do by some chance get some supporters from here, and then by some chance you do get elected into the oval office, are you going to remembre my name? Or Astrogirls name? what about Kathryn's name? Basiacally I am wondering if you are just here to score some votes and the say Julie who????? or Kathryn who????? when it comes to chrunch time? I am sorry I am just a little skeptical about a candidate for presidency just stopping by to chat and write stories and poems with the rest of us.
Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk with John Edwards, and thanks for the link re 'trade negotiations with South Korea.' It's an excellent example of: "what's this basket I'm in, and where am I going?"
800,000 autos in and 4,000 out. That's about the right ratio, as in, what we've come to expect. Funny, too, how our legislators [certain of them and not just repugs and we can thank Reagan, Poppy Bush and Clinton too] are so hot for deregulation of "everything" here and blame lack of results on american workers who would just ike to make a living, while cutting the rest of the world all kinds of slack. Well, we know why. Slave labor is cheap, and highly profitable, for some and costly for others. And if "we the people" just happen to be the "others" -- oh well, tough patooty. Hike yourself up by your bootstraps and stop whining -- get on down to Burger King -- the world is flat. Or, better yet, open a mom and pop business -- congress will make sure you get good insurance -- and it'll be affordable, and pigs fly. If you're really a dolt, just go back to school and your family can eat cake while you're doing it. If all else fails, take your unemployment insurance [if you have it], tell your family to keep eating cake, and invest in the "free" market system. If push really comes to shove [Kerry may have muffed the wording, but he got it right and said the truth], join the military -- it might not be a living, but it's a job, especially if it's the only gig in town. And, don't tell me I'm dissing the troops!
Grow up and be an entreprenuer! There are a lot of people living in their vehicles -- on the move -- because of parking ordinances. Now that's entreprenuership. Millions of hardworking people are within a hair of living in their vehicle, not because they're drunks or mentally ill or stupid -- but because they could lose a marginal job and haven't enough savings until they find another, or they have no savings, no health insurance and get sick -- then comes mental illness and/or the stupidity of stress. [It's all those cigaretts and Coors.] On the subject of mental illness or stupidity, what to do? Panhandle? Or, git a job!
Want a preview of where we're headed if free trade and cheap labor is the be all and the end all? Look at the financial tigers, India, China; and, while we can't call most of the Latin American countries, financial tigers, we know where they go for jobs -- and we know who the "haves and the have mores" and the "have nots" are.
We all like to think we could surely save a few pennies no matter how little we're paid. As for whether Bush et al care about average Americans [or anyone else] -- they don't -- they could care less. We're fodder for the free market system, or a disposable burden if we fall off the edge of a flat world.
I'm glad your husband is coming home. I wish all the dads and moms and husbands and wives and brothers and sisters were coming home. Perhaps with your husband home you won't be so bored by everthing -- and so coy.
Perhaps you're so bored that you really have no idea what a political candidate does -- makes me worry that you will be bored when you cast your vote - or don't you do that?
If "John" gets elected, I'm pretty sure he won't remember your name -- but he'd be sure to recognize your snideness.
Perhaps you work for John Boehner who said right before the election that "a vote for a democrat is a vote for a terrorist." I'll bet you're a fan of the slimy swift boat veterans and think George Bush is a war hero. Oh well, keep you head down and maybe use your vet benefits to go to school and learn some history and something about the modern world. btw, I can't imagine why they'd love us or or even like us, but I have some ideas about why they hate us -- do you? Just a rhetorical question -- perhaps you'll think about it.
Welcome to Gather Mr. Edwards.
From Devin Barber (Left of the Right)
Politics Correspondent, Gather.com
I am mystified as to why anyone would think that the US being in Iraq will "fix" anything. The Middle East is a hotbed with or without our involvement. We cannot "fix" a culture that does not wish to be fixed.
Welcome, Mr. Edwards. I don't imagine you'll be hanging around here much, having a real life and all, but rest assured that people like AstroGirl are championing your cause. I wish you luck in your quest, but am not certain the American public is up to having a president who tells the truth.
Either way, Edwards or someone on his staff, understands it's important to reach everyone in the US... and what better way than to do that on a blog site for writers? SO... I add my welcome to gather to John Edwards (and a shout out to my pal AstroGirl for the heads up).
I too am an independent thinker; a definite social liberal with a fiscally conservative pov. I voted for the Kerry/Edwards ticket 6 years ago, and can't wait to clear up Washington by getting rid of all those no-bid repubs who only care about personal self-interest and sticking their RWRN noses where they don't belong. I am sick of all the Washington double-speak and the kow-towing to special interest lobbyists. The repubs have messed up our entire country and they need to leave NOW!
Iraq is already involved in a civil war that the US began by getting rid of Saddam. Sure he was a bad guy, but Lil Kim & NK continues to be a much worse threat - and WAS a much worse threat before we went into Iraq - so those old tired repub talking-point-memo points so many of the previous posters typed about Iraq getting worse if we leave is just that... out-of-date repub talking points, which are simply lies.
Repubs seem to believe that if you repeat a lie often enough it becomes truth. But that's not the way it works. We want to hear someone speak from his heart, not from his pollsters notepad. Keep up the good work Mr Edwards... and good luck! You'll need it... and so will we all.
Thanks for the feedback, and for raising the level of political discourse.
The McCain Doctrine -- escalating the war in Iraq is a grave mistake.
The new Congress must intercede to stop Bush from stubbornly sticking to the same failed course in Iraq and refuse to authorize funding for an escalation of troops. They should make it clear to the President that he will not get any money to put more of our troops in harm's way until he provides a plan to turn responsibility of Iraq over to the Iraqi people and to ultimately leave Iraq. George Bush wants to dig a deeper hole, but we need to climb out.
The situation in Iraq demands a political solution — the Iraqi people must take responsibility for their country. Escalating the war in Iraq, which our own generals agree won't help, sends the wrong message to the Iraqi people, to the region, and the world. In order to get the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country, we must show them that we are serious about leaving, and the best way to do that is to actually start leaving and immediately withdraw 40–50,000 troops. Once the U.S. starts leaving, the Iraqi people and other regional powers will be forced to step up and engage in the search for a political solution that can bring an end to sectarian violence and allow reconstruction to take hold, creating — as should have been done long ago — Iraqi jobs for Iraqis.
Digital Dogs, it only seems like 6 years ago. It was actually only a bit more than 2. I know the present administration just seems to drag on and on and on. Blech!
John, thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to come visit us again. I know you are on the move and meeting with all kinds of people around the clock, so it means a lot.
Great on Bill Maher last night.
Welcome to Gather. I must say I was surprised, but pleased to see a Presidential Candidate around these parts. But since you are here and I am on the fence about whom I want to vote for, I must ask a few questions while I have you here....if you don't mind.
I have a dear friend who works very hard as a school teacher. She pays $1800.00 a month for health insurance. HALF of her pay.
What are your views about health care in America?
Next I am concerned about the way Veterans are treated in this country. My husband has been in the Army for 23 years and is currently on active duty here in the states. For a short period a few years ago he was not on active duty and had no health care other than the VA. When he developed strep throat I tried to get him a doctors appointment only to be told we would have to wait a YEAR. Luckily long before that year was up my husband went back in the Army. What about the men and woman who don't go back? Health care is not my only concern... What about homelessness, mental health, financial aid and better retirement and active duty pay? We ask these men and woman to go to war, and they do... no questions asked. Yet when we are done with them we discard them like garbage. What are your views on this subject?
Last but not least...
Minimum wage has not increased in a decade...do you think the latest increase is enough?
our dead soldiers, our billions upon billions of dollars and our tim and effort would have been better spent right here in America. Look around you...
Lost Soul, The New Republic recently noted the following:
"But that's not the plan's most intriguing--and potentially radical--feature. That distinction would belong to a tiny provision tucked within the Health Market proposal--one that only true aficionados would notice. The provision is for what's known as a Medicare buy-in. When people go to buy insurance through the Health Markets, they'll have the option to buy into a public program modeled on Medicare. This would, in theory, set up a competition between the public and private insurance plans. And, if the public program ends up winning in the long run--by attracting most or all of the subscribers--then eventually you'd have what is basically a single-payer system, in which the government provides insurance directly to most people through something like Medicare."
"In other words, at some point in the future, you would eventually get what many reformers and experts think is the best option out there."
Here's the link to that article.
While we're on the subject of his health care plan, read what Paul Krugman said in the New York Times, in his column titled "Edwards Gets It Right."
Ron, regarding getting out of Iraq, the answer is that you cap the troop levels while still providing funding for the troops that are there. In a recent interview with KGO radio, Edwards said the following:
"…what you do is you pass a law, which the Congress has the authority to do, that says troop levels are capped at 100k and then over time you use the funding mechanism to reduce the troop level. You have to continue, obviously to continue to provide support for the men and women who are serving in Iraq, but you use your Constitutional authority and your legal authority to force this president to start drawing down our presence there."
Hindustan Times Conference speech
Edwards Calls On President Bush To Suspend Negotiations For A Free Trade Agreement With South Korea
Carolion, I'm not sure that I personally agree with your thought that we would have peace if there were more women in office. I think we women can be sometimes pretty aggressive too. That's just my personal opinion. Here's a quote from John Edwards about his views on diversity. This is something he said in an NPR interview with Neal Conan, in response to a question from a caller about his Democratic rivals:
NC: He was asking how do you feel running in campaign against an African American Barack Obama, a woman Hillary Clinton and he says given the difficulties they face would you accept either as a vice-president candidate should you win the nomination?
JE: Well, I'll answer the later first and then I'll go to the heart of the question. I think either of them if I were to be successful, and I believe I will be, but if I were to be successful in the nomination process either of them would be very serious candidates for the vice-president. I have a high opinion of both.
As to the fact that Senator Obama is African American and Senator Clinton is a woman I'll just say this in the simplest language I know how to every democratic primary voter who hears my voice right now - if you are considering not voting for Senator Clinton because she is a woman or Senator Obama because he's black you shouldn't vote for me. Because I think having a real diversity both in the candidates and in the campaign and in an administration, in my administration, is the heart and soul of who I am.
John Edwards interviewed by Bill Maher
Video from Martin Luther King Day at Riverside Church
John Edwards' speech at the DNC Winter Meeting
I agree about ending the war in Iraq, but we must continue and win the war against terror. The two were originally unconnected. Iraq had no terrorist connection and no WMD. We created the connection, and now we have to deal with WMD in Iran and N. Korea. Clearly, Iraq was our mistake. But we need a plan to get out of Iraq that puts us back into the war against terrror. I favor the following points:
1. Apologize to the world for an unauthorized invasion.
2. Rebuild the coalition that existed after September 11th and make it stronger.
3. Include in that coalition strong Islamic participation. There is no new crusade. We are at war with terrorist not muslims.
4. Secure the region around Iraq working with regional powers, getting muslim nations to get Iran on board. The muslims don't want a regional war.
5. Return to Afghanistan with increased troop levels to finish job.
6. Rebuild Afghanistan so we don't have to go back.
7. Seek input from our many coalition partners so we can lead by concensus and not be seen as the superpower-bully.
I see the situation as analogous to the loss of France in World War II. It posed a grave threat to Great Britain but they had to leave and continue the war. They won and so can we.
End the war in Iraq! Win the War Against Terror!
I'd like to echo what others have been saying about other important issues facing our country. It's a travesty to force our verterans to wait a year for a doctor's appt. It's a travesty to send them to Iraq without the correct equipment in the first place; it's an even bigger travesty to be sending our National Guard AND their equipment to Iraq, the National Guard was created to do just what it's name suggest: Guard our Nation. IF we were attacked on our soil again today we wouldn't have the numbers in our National Guard here on the ground to help us. They and their equipment are all in Iraq, well, at least 60% of them are. The biggest travesty of all is that we have now created a dangerous power vacuum in the middle east. Bush's failed policies have left us more unsafe, facing a more unstable world, facing more terrorism, not reducing it.
Bush was put in place in various jobs by his family connections; Bush attended schools based only upon his families legacy; Bush has failed at everything he's ever done and has only been bailed out by his family connections; Bush has also failed miserably as President as he has failed miserably at everything else he has done. The repubs put him in pace because they thought he'd follow their RWRN orders, and he has, at the least, done that. But allowing religious nuts to make political policy runs against everything our country used to stand for.
Now the repubs are gearing up to Swift Boat other probable dem candidates. I fully expect Nadar to come out of the shadows as he does every 4 years to act as spoiler so his back-room repub pals (who support his failed candidacies by donating money so he can be a more efficient spoiler) can again win the election by a slim margin - as he helped them to do in the past 2 presidential elections.
I'm sick of this entire process and the lifers who benefit from sticking it to us. Why don't our elected officials care about negotiating better prices for prescriptions and making sure everyone has a basic level of health care? Because if you're an elected official for 5 years you then have coverage in the best health plan in our country for LIFE. Why should they are about the rest of us if they're living high on our hog money?
Good Luck Mr Edwards, this is going to be a long and dirty fight.
I do not believe in war, period. However, I do believe in those who choose to serve our country. While it may seem a hypocracy to some, these are the feelings of many Americans. What is unfortunate is that this argument has come down to a matter of money--give it or we are not supportiing our troops. As everything in the US, money talks and is far too often the focus of discussions, ignoring the true content.
I think that something needs to be done in Iraq, though I do not know if immediate withdrawl is appropriate. We started something, though not necessary, and it needs to be finished in a manner that demonstrates the US as leaders by example. But, increasing the troops is not the way to do this. We are going to exhaust our Armed Services and also deplete the budget of several services necessary in order to care for our own citizens. I truly believe that if the war had not been so mishandled and taken so much funding, the situation after Hurricane Katrina would not have been such a disaster.
I do support your plan, and the plan of some in Congress, of tying funding to the cap on the amount of troops in Iraq and to also ensure that those being sent over are well trained and prepared. We must continue to support those that are deployed and, to me, this would be a responsible way to do so.
Most importantly, we cannot forget the emotional impact these discussions are having on those deployed. Support must not only come down to money, it must also include genuine respect for those who serve our country.
Your plan is the typical half assed one of a lawyer wanting deniablity for failure. At least have the courage to say we've lost and its time to run if thats your belief.
This country really needs another ex tort lawyer like you in a senior political position. Not sure who will win in 2008 but I doubt it will be you....
I agree that we need to pull out of Iraq. There will be consequences -- but then, we're currently facing consequences for being there in the first place! We broke it, we need to help fix it, yes. But not in the form of fighting.
Here's to fighting a good (campaign) fight in 2008!
I do not support your platform and will NOT be voting for you if you make it that far. Your cut and run beliefs, IMHO, prove your ignorance of world affairs. You are definitely appealing to the emotional state of the nation to win political votes instead of acting as the strong leader we need at this juncture to get us through these troubled times.
We would be foolhardy to follow a mistake with a refusal to acknowledge it and change course. People make mistakes. This one is a real doozy. (Sorry, sir, but you know it and I know it. If it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't have disagreed with your vote at the time, so I made the same mistake, as did the majority of Americans.)
Those people here who are saying "stay the course" are lost in a fantasy where repeating the same failed strategy is somehow going to have a different result this time around. It ain't going to happen.
I've had enough of "stay the course" and leaders who aren't willing to acknowledge their mistakes. I don't expect a leader who knows everything or always makes the right decisions, but it sure would be nice to have one with the humility to admit mistakes and the ability to self-examine enough to see his own mistakes in the first place. Presidents are not Gods, but we had better hope they are decent human beings. Again, welcome to Gather, sir.
If we leave now Iran will take our place. Millions of Iraqs will be slaughtered and it will probably lead to them attacking Israel which could lead to a nuclear war.
Mr. Edward, I think the first step is to call a meeting of the United Nations and ask for a brainstorming session to see if anyone else can come up with a realistic and viable strategy for withdrawal. Of course you're going to get countries like China, France and Iran telling you to "just get out," but treat the session like the Olympics – you throw out the high and low "scores" and explore the middle ground. (Of course, this may not be literally possible, I'm just trying to make a point about engaging other nations in solving this problem. International U.S. policies should not be made in isolation. )
One of your responses above also contains another flawed statement that plays into the President's hand. Bush is feverishly employing it in an attempt to shift the blame for the mess he made to someone else: "The…Iraqi people must take responsibility for their country." Personally, I wouldn't trust the "Iraqi people" that Bush set currently up in power to be working for the common good. The fact that so many Iraqi soldiers are betrayed and killed implies that the current Iraqi administration is corrupt. Somehow, a system must be put in place to allow the more honest leaders (or whatever degree of honesty is possible, since even in the U.S. we have corrupt politicians) who want the best for their country to get a chance to fix things.
Having said all the above, I agree with your intentions and I'm willing to keep you under consideration.
That said, we have a president who won't even admit that he made a mistake, much less engage with other countries to solve it. Unless we want to just wait until we have a new administration, our best solutions are simple ones - ones that the Congress can hopefully undertake by itself.
Ben's comment above is nothing but more of the same fearmongering alarmist rhetoric that Bush used to get us into this mess. We're not buying the fearmongering anymore, Ben.
Time will tell
Anyway, good luck and I 'm hoping someone with your integrity will pull through this compaign.
We need to talk to both interested and disinterested parties - why can't we get the whole world involved? (Metaphorically speaking, of course it's unrealistic, in practical terms!) The U.S. created the problem in Iraq, but we continue to miss the point because we keep arrogantly treating it like it is "our problem" and we are the only ones who have a "right" to solve it. Why not call a "town meeting" of the Iraqi people (if we can guarantee civilian safety). If that's not possible, why not engage expatriate Iraqis in conversations? Yes, yes, I know everyone has their own agenda, some are more corrupt than others, and our intelligence gathering capabilities are so woefully inadequate that we can't tell our friends from our enemies. But the U.S. treats Iraq like the typical man who is lost but is too "macho" to ask for directions – so he keeps driving around in circles, getting more an more lost and more and more aggravated; yet, he still refuses to ask for directions. The U.S. needs to get out of the car and ask for directions from ANYBODY it can find on the street! It is simply incapable of finding the destination without help from someone.
Honestly, from what I've heard him say various times on foreign policy about engaging others around the world, I really doubt that he would have much of a problem with what you seem to be suggesting. But, I definitely don't want to say that for sure without having his words to back up what I'm saying, so all I can do is point you to some things he has said. Hopefully he will be able to expand on his views in the future, either here or in another venue.
Mr. Edwards, your plan sounds good on paper, but it is very naive. It is not realistic by any terms. The US did not start the violence between the Sunni's and the Shiates. Leaving will not make them suddenly love each other. Leaving will not magically make Iraq stable. Leaving will only make it easier for people to kill each other.
Time for another "repoublespeak"?
I keep hearing the same tired old refrains [along with some new ones of course which I'm beginning to notice and jot down].
Cut and run and stay the course. [Shows how they twist words around to suit their purpose]. Stay the course to "victory" means -- "we the repubs screwed it up in the first place, really badly, over and over again, and now we've LOST it and we have to have someone to blame."
"Gloom and Doomers" [this goes back to Bush 41, which may mean those who say it may be a certain age or just unimaginative when it comes to slinging repoublespeak. "Don't be a gloom and doomer means "what me worry, we created a wonderful democratic world for the Iraqis; the Halliburton economy is wonderful for everyone 'over there and here' and our schools are in good shape -- and if they're not then it's the teachers' and the parents' fault -- it's always someone's fault -- when we get caught red-handed." McCain says it's all Rumsfeld's fault, though before he said this he said that we should respect Old Rummy. Scooter Libbey may be feeling a bit of gloom and doom right now.
"Transparency" means it's being done in secret -- and when it finally comes to light of day the we have "accountability" which means the president gets to "appoint" his very own man to oversee the regulatory agencies, just for example.
The one I really like the best is "we didn't start it." That means "they did" and messed it up really bad in the process.
"We have to fight them over there, so they won't come here [and now according to Typhoo] it will also spread over there -- which means -- We're not fighting them over there; we're helping the Iraqis fight each other over there and depleting our resources both here and there." Why are we doing that?
I've got an idea. The things gloomers and doomers shouldn't worry about because Alfred E. Repoublespeak will take care of it for us: Like adequate funding and services [at Walter Reed just for example] to take care of our soldiers. Funding for disaster preparedness here at home [DHS could use a little sunlight], speaking of pandemics and hospitals in general. [why did we run out of flu vaccine? -- not to mention what happened in Katrina -- no wonder Iraq is a mess].
"Constitutional" means "we're making it up as we go along and writing our own laws -- in secret.
"Blame it on someone else, like Rummy for now, then we'll flip him over and find someone else to blame -- count on us to make it up as we go go along."