[Peace-discuss] Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan

[Robert Naiman]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/kucinich-forces-congress_b_486295.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/4/162544/4219

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/502

Today Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Con Res. 248,
a privileged resolution with 16 original cosponsors that will require
the House of Representatives to debate whether to continue the war in
Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next week.

Original cosponsors of the Kucinich resolution include John Conyers,
Ron Paul, José Serrano, Bob Filner, Lynn Woolsey, Walter Jones, Danny
Davis, Barbara Lee, Michael Capuano, Raúl Grijalva, Tammy Baldwin, Tim
Johnson, Yvette Clarke, Eric Massa, Alan Grayson, and Chellie Pingree.

The Pentagon doesn't want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon
wants Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current
military escalation, no questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a
withdrawal timetable or an exit strategy. Ideally, from the point of
view of the Pentagon, Congress would fork over that money right away,
before the coming Kandahar offensive that the $33 billion is supposed
to pay for, because you can expect a lot of bad news out of
Afghanistan in the form of deaths of U.S. soldiers and Afghan
civilians once the Kandahar offensive starts, and it would sure be
awkward if all that bad news reached Washington while the $33 billion
was hanging fire.

So it's a great thing that Rep. Kucinich and his 16 allies are forcing
Congress to debate the issue, and it would be even better if more
Members of Congress would be urged by their constituents to support
Kucinich's resolution. That would be a signal to the House leadership
that continuation of the open-ended war and occupation is
controversial in the House, and the House leadership should not try to
ram through $33 billion more for the war on a fast-track without ample
opportunity for debate and amendment.

Every day the Afghanistan war continues is another day on which the
United States Government plays Russian Roulette with the lives of
American soldiers and Afghan civilians.

The British Government has more urgency than the U.S. government about
ending the war - and is more supportive than the U.S. of a political
solution to end the conflict - because in Britain there is greater
public outcry.

If there were greater public and Congressional outcry in the U.S., we
could be more like Britain, and get our government on board the train
to a political solution, instead of prolonging the war indefinitely.

The first step towards bringing our troops home is for Members of
Congress to hear from their constituents.

--
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

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