Who will respond?
I just sent the following letter to the top Presidential hopefuls for the Democratic Party. I'll keep you informed on the answers as I get them.
What are you doing to stop this reckless administration from taking us into Iran?
I believe that the contender who comes out strongest and first on this issue has the best chance. We need not only a leader who can acknowledge mistakes from the past but someone who can stop mistakes before they are made. Please come out against not only the escalation in Iraq but demand Congress act now to stop the President and his henchmen from taking us into Iran. Tell the Congress that they have to stop this president before it is too late.
Thank you,
Hillary, Barack, John, and Bill the ball is in your court.
posted by ROMA @ 12:26:00 AM
5 Comments:
The first response is in and in Hillary fashion it was a no comment. I am aware that you are Senator of New York but you are also running for President. Here is the form letter.
Dear Friend:
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me
via e-mail. I hope you will understand that, because of the volume of
e-mails I receive from residents of New York State, I cannot at this time
respond to messages received from residents of other states. I encourage
you to contact your U.S. senators if you have an issue or concern that
needs immediate attention. You can access your senators electronically by
visiting http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index_by_state.cfm for a listing
of their contact information. If you are still interested in learning
more about the work I am doing on behalf of New York State, I hope you
will continue to monitor my work through my website at
http://clinton.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
New York State
Just another reason for me to check the box beside Obama's name. :)
--Govzilla's response
Dear Rick,
The President's saber-rattling strategy towards Iran needs to stop now. Mr. Bush has no authority to attack Iran and the American people won't stand for another unwarranted and unwanted war. This is a time for alliance-building, direct engagement, and tough face-to-face negotiations—not chest-beating and dangerous brinksmanship.
Today, we need to send a clear message to the White House and Congress: We want diplomacy in Iran, not attacks.
The worst possible mistake for the US and the world would be to take military action in Iran before exhausting all diplomatic avenues. Iran may be moving forward with plans to build nuclear weapons, but they are years away from accomplishing that goal. There is no immediate danger. Yet, rather than engaging the Iranians directly about their nuclear program, Mr. Bush refuses to talk and instead makes threats. He moves ships to the region and claims, without any convincing evidence, that Iran is helping Iraqi insurgents. This is not a strategy for peace, it is a strategy for war—a war which has not been authorized by Congress, and which would be a disaster for the region, for the United States, and for the world.
After three decades in public service, as a Congressman, UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary, Governor and diplomatic envoy, I know what works: tough, credible and direct negotiations with adversaries, backed by strong international alliances. But by alienating our allies, over-extending our military, making idle threats, and antagonizing just about everyone, the Bush administration has undermined our diplomatic leverage.
The recent agreement with North Korea over its nuclear program shows that direct diplomacy can work, even with the most unsavory of regimes. It is unfortunate that it took the Bush administration six years to try diplomacy. Had we engaged the North Koreans earlier, instead of calling them "evil" and talking about "regime change," we might have prevented them from going nuclear in the first place.
Iran's nuclear program may be a threat to peace, but it also is an opportunity to start rebuilding American credibility and leadership, which have been so weakened by six years of incompetence.
Sign the petition now demanding diplomacy, not attacks. This administration's strategy of isolating and provoking Iran must end.
I believe that now is the time to act deliberatively and thoughtfully. Now is the time for real diplomacy - not more irresponsible threats and a stubborn refusal to talk.
Thank you for joining me,
Governor Bill Richardson
The closest thing from Johnny about the war.
Dear Rick,
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.
Today, all of us who believe this war is wrong have a profound obligation to speak out. We are still in the early days of an historic new Congress and real change is still possible--even under this president.
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
Dear Mr. Canby:
Thank you for contacting me with your concerns regarding Iran . Certainly, Iran is one of the most serious national security challenges that face our nation today. The Iranian President has made a series of outrageous comments questioning the Holocaust and calling for Israel to be wiped off the map. He has also been the leading spokesperson for Iran 's pursuit of the technology that could potentially allow it to build nuclear weapons.
United States ' policy in this regard must be clear and unequivocal. We cannot and must not permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons. A nuclear Iran would pose a serious threat to Israel and others in the region. It would also pose a significant threat to the United States by combining access to nuclear materials and technology with support for terrorism. The Iranian regime's pro-terrorist, anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric only underscores the seriousness of the threat we face.
In addressing the challenges posed by Iran , it is critically important that we demand the President consult with Congress. On February 14, I spoke from the Senate floor about the need for the Administration to consult with Congress on our Iran policy. In that speech, I said that if the Administration believes that any use of force against Iran is necessary, the President must come to Congress to seek explicit authority for that purpose. President Bush must not be allowed to act without the authority and oversight of Congress.
Indeed, it would be a grave mistake if the Administration thought that the 2002 resolution authorizing force against Iraq was a blank check for the use of force against Iran . Likewise, it would be a mistake to think that the 2001 resolution authorizing force after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in any way authorizes the use of force against Iran . We must not allow the recent history of Iraq to repeat itself. We must not allow another rush to war, and we must be on guard that we never again make decisions on the basis of intelligence that turns out to be faulty.
Rather, we ought to proceed deliberately and wisely in confronting the threat posed by the Iranian regime. While I have long said that we must keep all options on the table, I believe we should have direct engagement with Iran in order to learn more about them, what their objectives are, where the real power centers are, and what leverage we can bring to bear on them. I also want to send a message to the rest of the world - if we ever do have to take more drastic action - that we aggressively pursued all diplomatic options because we need friends and allies to stand with us now more than ever.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts and concerns with me. You can be sure that I will continue to follow developments related to Iran with the utmost attention. For more information on this and other issues being discussed before the United States Senate, please visit http://clinton.senate.gov . If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact my office at (202) 224 - 4451.
Sincerely,
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
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