[Peace-discuss] Tim Johnson signs letter backing faster end to combat in Afghanistan

Fri Feb 17 16:21:31 CST 2012

>From Barbara Lee's office:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Subject: Signers of bipartisan letter on Afghanistan

All,****

** **

Check the list of co-signers to the letter to President Obama supporting
2013 completion of combat operations in Afghanistan (full text below).****

GOP signers (9) are in *Bold*, and *non-sponsors* of HR 780 (33) are
*underlined
and red*.****

** **

We should point to this letter in urging these *33 Members* to join the
out-of-Afghanistan bill.****

** **

Have great 3-day weekends all!****

** **

-Teddy****

** **

*Alphabetical Order (87)*:****

** **

*Justin Amash (MI)*
Tammy Baldwin (WI)****

*Roscoe G. Bartlett (MD)**
*Earl Blumenauer (OR)
*Suzanne Bonamici (OR)*****

*Leonard Boswell (IA)*

*Robert Brady (PA)*

*Bruce Braley (IA)
Lois Capps (CA)*

Michael Capuano (MA)
Judy Chu (CA)
*David Cicilline (RI)*****

*Hansen Clarke (MI)*

*Howard Coble (NC)**
*Steve Cohen (TN)
John Conyers, Jr. (MI)****

*Jerry Costello (IL)*

*Joe Crowley (NY)*

*Peter DeFazio (OR)*

Diana DeGette (CO)****

Rosa DeLauro (CT)
*Jimmy Duncan, Jr. **(TN)*****

Donna Edwards (MD)
Keith Ellison (MN)****

*Jo Ann Emerson (MO)
**Anna Eshoo (CA)**
*Sam Farr (CA)****

Chaka Fattah (PA)
Bob Filner (CA)
Barney Frank (MA)
John Garamendi (CA)
*Charlie Gonzalez (TX)
*Raul Grijalva (AZ)
Janice Hahn (CA)
*Martin Heinrich (NM)*
Maurice Hinchey (NY) ****

Mazie Hirono (HI)****

Rush Holt (NJ)****

Mike Honda (CA)
Jesse Jackson, Jr. (IL)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX)****

*Hank Johnson (GA)*

*Timothy Johnson (IL)**
**Walter Jones (NC)*

Dennis Kucinich (OH)
*Rick Larsen (WA)*
Barbara Lee (CA)
John Lewis (GA)****

David Loebsack (IA)
Zoe Lofgren (CA)
*Ben Ray Luján (NM)
*Carolyn Maloney (NY)****

*Betty McCollum (MN)*
Jim McDermott (WA)
Jim McGovern (MA)
Michael Michaud (ME)****

*Brad Miller (NC)*

George Miller (CA)
Gwen Moore (WI)
Jerrold Nadler (NY)
Grace Napolitano (CA)
*Richard Neal (MA)*

John Olver (MA)
Donald Payne (NJ)
*Gary Peters (MI)
*Chellie Pingree (ME)
Jared Polis (CO)****

David Price (NC)
Laura Richardson (CA)****

*Dana Rohrabacher (CA)
**Mike Quigley (IL)**
*Jan Schakowsky (IL)
*Kurt Schrader (OR)
*José Serrano (NY)
Louise Slaughter (NY)
*Adam Smith (WA)
*Jackie Speier (CA)
Pete Stark (CA)
*Mike Thompson (CA)
Paul Tonko (NY)
*Ed Towns (NY)
*Niki Tsongas (MA)
Pete Visclosky (IN)
*Henry Waxman (CA)****

Peter Welch (VT)****

*Ed Whitfield (KY)**
*Lynn Woolsey (CA)****

(87)****

** **

** **

** **

*End U.S. Combat Operations in Afghanistan***

*Sign Letter to President Obama in Support of February 1st Announcement*

** **

** **

Dear Colleague,****

 ****

            On February 1st, the Administration announced that it would
complete U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2013, shifting
control to Afghanistan forces (
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/world/asia/panetta-moves-up-end-to-us-combat-role-in-afghanistan.html?_r=2).
We ask you to join us on sending a letter to President Obama expressing
support for this announcement and an accelerated end to U.S. military
operations in Afghanistan.****

 ****

            *The deadline to sign onto this letter is NOON, Friday,
February 17t**h*.  To sign onto the letter, please contact Cindy Buhl
(McGovern) at 5-6101 or cindy.buhl at mail.house.gov or Ray Celeste (Jones) at
5-3415 or raymond.celeste at mail.house.gov.  ****

** **

Sincerely,****

** **

            James P. McGovern                            Walter B.
Jones                                   Barbara Lee****

            Member of Congress                           Member of
Congress                           Member of Congress****

** **

            John J. Duncan, Jr.                              John
Garamendi                                  Justin Amash****

            Member of Congress                           Member of
Congress                           Member of Congress****

** **

** **

** **

February 17, 2012****

** **

The Honorable Barack Obama****

President****

The White House****

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW****

Washington, D.C. 20500****

** **

Dear Mr. President,****

** **

            We write to express our support for the Administration’s
announcement on February 1st that the United States will complete combat
operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year. ****

** **

            From information reported in the media, the U.S. intends to
transition from major combat operations in Afghanistan to a “training,
advice and assist role” by the middle-to-latter part of 2013.  We applaud
this announcement by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to accelerate the
transition away from combat operations, and it provides assurance that the
timeframe outlined in your 2009 speech at West Point will be carried out.
As you know, many of us support an even more rapid withdrawal of all our
troops from Afghanistan. ****

** **

            The majority of Americans want a safe and orderly military
withdrawal from Afghanistan as quickly as possible, as recent public
opinion polls indicate. The desire by the American people for an
accelerated transition in Afghanistan was reflected in votes taken in
Congress last year, in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate during their respective debates on amendments offered by
Representatives McGovern and Jones and by Senator Merkley to the FY 2012
National Defense Authorization Act.  These votes show there is strong
bipartisan political support to take bold steps regarding U.S. policy in
Afghanistan. ****

** **

            The past 10 years have cost America dearly in the blood and
sacrifice of our military servicemen and women and their families, and in
our nation’s fiscal health and security. The United States intervened in
Afghanistan to destroy al Qaeda’s safe haven, remove th Taliban government
that sheltered al Qaeda, and pursue those who planned the September
11thattacks on the United States; those objectives have largely been
met and no
longer require a large presence of combat troops in Afghanistan.  While
questions remain about the details of the announced transition – when and
how quickly U.S. troops will be coming home, the number and purpose of
troops that might remain in Afghanistan and for how long a period, the
costs and the savings of accelerating the completion of combat operations –
the February 1st announcement clearly signals that now is the moment to
initiate the transition, end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops
home.****

** **

Sincerely,****

Members of Congress****

** **

** **

**

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** **

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