B***@wald.cot
2009-02-17 17:27:02 UTC
What Will Cost $1 Trillion in 2009 and Has Never Been Conquered?
Posted by Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation at 7:11 AM on
February 16, 2009.
A call for Congressional oversight hearings for the war in
Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan is "going to be much tougher than Iraq,"
according to Richard Holbrooke, the State Department's special envoy.
Tougher than Iraq? Does that mean the Afghanistan war will last
another six years or more? Will the death toll be worse than 4,200
soldiers and over 100,000 civilians killed? And will Afghanistan cost
more than the $3 trillion our country will have spent on Iraq when all
is said and done?
The time has come to Rethink Afghanistan, and one of the best ways we
can is through Congressional oversight hearings. These deliberative
hearings are fundamental to raising critical questions, examining the
Pentagon's plans, and investigating military spending before this war
spirals out of control. Historically, oversight hearings have played a
major role in our system of checks and balances in wartime, except
during the Bush administration.
In the past, you helped Uncovered: The War on Iraq penetrate the
national consciousness, compelling people to examine the reasons for
war. Thousands of you screened and distributed Iraq for Sale: The War
Profiteers, which caused war profiteering to become a national
concern. Now we need your help demanding Congressional oversight
hearings to Rethink Afghanistan. Sign the petition and urge Senator
John Kerry and Representative Howard Berman to hold oversight hearings
immediately. Then, watch the introductory video and send it around,
alerting people to the urgency of this situation and the need for
hearings.
Congressional hearings, coupled with vigorous public debate, would
allow experts in the field to raise key questions that must be
answered. To that end, we are launching a series of online debates
featuring prominent thinkers and progressives.
Watch political activist Tom Hayden debate whether we need more troops
with Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. See bloggers David
Atkins of Daily Kos and The Seminal's Jason Rosenbaum debate whether
escalation would hurt President Obama's domestic agenda. And don't
miss Jon Rainwater from Peace Action West and Brookings' Jeremy
Shapiro as they weigh in on whether military action will reduce the
risk of terrorism in the United States.
The issues raised in these debates could serve as topics for
Congressional oversight hearings that re-examine our country's
approach toward Afghanistan. We look forward to more debates; to
producing several videos that look at troops, costs, and military
objectives; and to collaborating with the bloggers who have been
writing about these issues at Get Afghanistan Right. Let's work
together to inform the public and ask the pressing questions our
elected leaders must answer. Let's do everything possible to rethink
Afghanistan while there's still time.
Posted by Robert Greenwald, Brave New Foundation at 7:11 AM on
February 16, 2009.
A call for Congressional oversight hearings for the war in
Afghanistan.
The war in Afghanistan is "going to be much tougher than Iraq,"
according to Richard Holbrooke, the State Department's special envoy.
Tougher than Iraq? Does that mean the Afghanistan war will last
another six years or more? Will the death toll be worse than 4,200
soldiers and over 100,000 civilians killed? And will Afghanistan cost
more than the $3 trillion our country will have spent on Iraq when all
is said and done?
The time has come to Rethink Afghanistan, and one of the best ways we
can is through Congressional oversight hearings. These deliberative
hearings are fundamental to raising critical questions, examining the
Pentagon's plans, and investigating military spending before this war
spirals out of control. Historically, oversight hearings have played a
major role in our system of checks and balances in wartime, except
during the Bush administration.
In the past, you helped Uncovered: The War on Iraq penetrate the
national consciousness, compelling people to examine the reasons for
war. Thousands of you screened and distributed Iraq for Sale: The War
Profiteers, which caused war profiteering to become a national
concern. Now we need your help demanding Congressional oversight
hearings to Rethink Afghanistan. Sign the petition and urge Senator
John Kerry and Representative Howard Berman to hold oversight hearings
immediately. Then, watch the introductory video and send it around,
alerting people to the urgency of this situation and the need for
hearings.
Congressional hearings, coupled with vigorous public debate, would
allow experts in the field to raise key questions that must be
answered. To that end, we are launching a series of online debates
featuring prominent thinkers and progressives.
Watch political activist Tom Hayden debate whether we need more troops
with Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution. See bloggers David
Atkins of Daily Kos and The Seminal's Jason Rosenbaum debate whether
escalation would hurt President Obama's domestic agenda. And don't
miss Jon Rainwater from Peace Action West and Brookings' Jeremy
Shapiro as they weigh in on whether military action will reduce the
risk of terrorism in the United States.
The issues raised in these debates could serve as topics for
Congressional oversight hearings that re-examine our country's
approach toward Afghanistan. We look forward to more debates; to
producing several videos that look at troops, costs, and military
objectives; and to collaborating with the bloggers who have been
writing about these issues at Get Afghanistan Right. Let's work
together to inform the public and ask the pressing questions our
elected leaders must answer. Let's do everything possible to rethink
Afghanistan while there's still time.