~^*^~
2006-09-04 21:00:48 UTC
----- Original Message -----
From: An American who loves Americans
alt.impeach.bush,alt.politics,alt.politics.bush,alt.politics.usa.republican,soc.veterans
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 1:49 PM
Subject: Second "Letter to the president"
Org: He isn't listening - send to everyone in your address book!
From: An American who loves Americans
alt.impeach.bush,alt.politics,alt.politics.bush,alt.politics.usa.republican,soc.veterans
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 1:49 PM
Subject: Second "Letter to the president"
Org: He isn't listening - send to everyone in your address book!
September 4, 2006
The President The White House Washington, D.C.
Over one month ago, we wrote to you about the war in Iraq. In the face of
escalating violence, increasing instability in the region, and an overall
strain on our troops that has reduced their readiness to levels not seen
since Vietnam, we called upon you to change course and adopt a new
strategy to give our troops and the Iraqi people the best chance for
success.
Although you have not responded to our letter, we surmise from your
recent
press conferences and speeches that you remain committed to maintaining
an
open-ended presence of U.S. forces in Iraq for years to come. That was
the
message the American people received on August 21, 2006, when you said,
"we're not leaving [Iraq], so long as I'm the President."
Unfortunately, your stay the course strategy is not working. In the
five-week period since writing to you, over 60 U.S. soldiers and Marines
have been killed, hundreds of U.S. troops have been wounded, many of them
grievously, nearly 1,000 Iraqi civilians have died, and the cost to the
American taxpayer has grown by another $8 billion dollars. Even the
administration's most recent report to Congress on Measuring Stability
and
Security in Iraq indicates that security trends in Iraq are
deteriorating,
and likely to continue to worsen for the foreseeable future. With daily
attacks against American and Iraqi troops at close to their highest
levels
since the start of the war, and sectarian violence intensifying, we can
only conclude that our troops are caught in the middle of a low-grade
civil war that is getting worse.
Meanwhile, the costs of a failed Iraq policy to our military and our
security have been staggering. As you know, not a single Army
non-deployed
combat brigade is currently prepared to meet its wartime mission, and the
Marine Corps faces equally urgent equipment and personnel shortages.
Lieutenant General Blum, the National Guard Bureau Chief, has stated that
the National Guard is "even further behind or in an even more dire
situation than the active Army." Your recent decision to involuntarily
recall thousands of Marines to active duty to serve in Iraq is but the
latest confirmation of the strain this war has placed on our troops. At
the same time, the focus on Iraq and the toll it has taken on our troops
and on our diplomatic capabilities has diverted our attention from other
national security challenges and greatly constrained our ability to deal
with them.
In short, Mr. President, this current path - for our military, for the
Iraqi people, and for our security - is neither working, nor making us
more secure.
Therefore, we urge you once again to consider changes to your Iraq
policy.
We propose a new direction, which would include: (1) transitioning the
U.S. mission in Iraq to counter-terrorism, training, logistics and force
protection; (2) beginning the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from
Iraq
before the end of this year; (3) working with Iraqi leaders to disarm the
militias and to develop a broad-based and sustainable political
settlement, including amending the Constitution to achieve a fair sharing
of power and resources; and (4) convening an international conference and
contact group to support a political settlement in Iraq, to preserve
Iraq's sovereignty, and to revitalize the stalled economic reconstruction
and rebuilding effort. These proposals were outlined in our July 30th
letter and are consistent with the "U.S. Policy in Iraq Act" you signed
into law last year.
We also think there is one additional measure you can take immediately to
demonstrate that you recognize the problems your policies have created in
Iraq and elsewhere -consider changing the civilian leadership at the
Defense Department. From the failure to deploy sufficient numbers of
troops at the start of the war or to adequately equip them, to the prison
abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, to disbanding the Iraqi military, to the
failure to plan for the post-war occupation, the Administration's
mistakes
have taken a toll on our troops and our security. It is unacceptable to
dismiss the concerns of military personnel and their families when they
are affected by the consequences of these failures, as the Secretary of
Defense recently did in Alaska by suggesting that volunteers should not
complain about having their deployments extended. While a change in your
Iraq policy will best advance our chances for success, we do not believe
the current civilian leadership at the Department of Defense is suited to
implement and oversee such a change in policy.
Mr. President, staying the course in Iraq has not worked and continues to
divert resources and attention from the war on terrorism that should be
the nation's top security priority. We hope you will consider the
recommendations for change that we have put forward. We want to work with
you in finding a way forward that honors the enormous sacrifice of our
troops and promotes U.S. national security interests in the region. We
believe our plan will achieve those goals.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Harry Reid, Senate Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic
Leader
Dick Durbin, Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, House
Minority Whip Carl Levin, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
Ike Skelton, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee Joe Biden,
Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tom Lantos, Ranking
Member, House International Relations Committee Jay Rockefeller, Vice
Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee Jane Harman, Ranking Member,
House
Intelligence Committee Daniel Inouye, Ranking Member, Senate Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee John Murtha, Ranking Member, House Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee
--
He's not listening.....Send this to 'er...everyone in your address book!
*Had enough Republican lies*?
*Had enough Republican immorality*?
*Had enough Republican cronyism*?
*Had enough Republican corruption*?
*Had enough Republican bad judgment*?
*Had enough Republican incompetence*?
*Had enough Republican false religiosity*?
*Had enough Republican fear mongering*?
*Had enough Republican high fuel prices*?
*Had enough Republican unnecessary war*?
*Had enough Republican misrepresentation*?
*Had enough Republican secret government*?
*Had enough Republican illegal surveillance*?
*Had enough Republican failed foreign policy*?
*Had enough Republican financial mismanagement*?
"...*reality has a well-known liberal bias*",...*Colbert*
*Had Enough*?
*Vote Democratic*
The President The White House Washington, D.C.
Over one month ago, we wrote to you about the war in Iraq. In the face of
escalating violence, increasing instability in the region, and an overall
strain on our troops that has reduced their readiness to levels not seen
since Vietnam, we called upon you to change course and adopt a new
strategy to give our troops and the Iraqi people the best chance for
success.
Although you have not responded to our letter, we surmise from your
recent
press conferences and speeches that you remain committed to maintaining
an
open-ended presence of U.S. forces in Iraq for years to come. That was
the
message the American people received on August 21, 2006, when you said,
"we're not leaving [Iraq], so long as I'm the President."
Unfortunately, your stay the course strategy is not working. In the
five-week period since writing to you, over 60 U.S. soldiers and Marines
have been killed, hundreds of U.S. troops have been wounded, many of them
grievously, nearly 1,000 Iraqi civilians have died, and the cost to the
American taxpayer has grown by another $8 billion dollars. Even the
administration's most recent report to Congress on Measuring Stability
and
Security in Iraq indicates that security trends in Iraq are
deteriorating,
and likely to continue to worsen for the foreseeable future. With daily
attacks against American and Iraqi troops at close to their highest
levels
since the start of the war, and sectarian violence intensifying, we can
only conclude that our troops are caught in the middle of a low-grade
civil war that is getting worse.
Meanwhile, the costs of a failed Iraq policy to our military and our
security have been staggering. As you know, not a single Army
non-deployed
combat brigade is currently prepared to meet its wartime mission, and the
Marine Corps faces equally urgent equipment and personnel shortages.
Lieutenant General Blum, the National Guard Bureau Chief, has stated that
the National Guard is "even further behind or in an even more dire
situation than the active Army." Your recent decision to involuntarily
recall thousands of Marines to active duty to serve in Iraq is but the
latest confirmation of the strain this war has placed on our troops. At
the same time, the focus on Iraq and the toll it has taken on our troops
and on our diplomatic capabilities has diverted our attention from other
national security challenges and greatly constrained our ability to deal
with them.
In short, Mr. President, this current path - for our military, for the
Iraqi people, and for our security - is neither working, nor making us
more secure.
Therefore, we urge you once again to consider changes to your Iraq
policy.
We propose a new direction, which would include: (1) transitioning the
U.S. mission in Iraq to counter-terrorism, training, logistics and force
protection; (2) beginning the phased redeployment of U.S. forces from
Iraq
before the end of this year; (3) working with Iraqi leaders to disarm the
militias and to develop a broad-based and sustainable political
settlement, including amending the Constitution to achieve a fair sharing
of power and resources; and (4) convening an international conference and
contact group to support a political settlement in Iraq, to preserve
Iraq's sovereignty, and to revitalize the stalled economic reconstruction
and rebuilding effort. These proposals were outlined in our July 30th
letter and are consistent with the "U.S. Policy in Iraq Act" you signed
into law last year.
We also think there is one additional measure you can take immediately to
demonstrate that you recognize the problems your policies have created in
Iraq and elsewhere -consider changing the civilian leadership at the
Defense Department. From the failure to deploy sufficient numbers of
troops at the start of the war or to adequately equip them, to the prison
abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib, to disbanding the Iraqi military, to the
failure to plan for the post-war occupation, the Administration's
mistakes
have taken a toll on our troops and our security. It is unacceptable to
dismiss the concerns of military personnel and their families when they
are affected by the consequences of these failures, as the Secretary of
Defense recently did in Alaska by suggesting that volunteers should not
complain about having their deployments extended. While a change in your
Iraq policy will best advance our chances for success, we do not believe
the current civilian leadership at the Department of Defense is suited to
implement and oversee such a change in policy.
Mr. President, staying the course in Iraq has not worked and continues to
divert resources and attention from the war on terrorism that should be
the nation's top security priority. We hope you will consider the
recommendations for change that we have put forward. We want to work with
you in finding a way forward that honors the enormous sacrifice of our
troops and promotes U.S. national security interests in the region. We
believe our plan will achieve those goals.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Harry Reid, Senate Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic
Leader
Dick Durbin, Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, House
Minority Whip Carl Levin, Ranking Member, Senate Armed Services Committee
Ike Skelton, Ranking Member, House Armed Services Committee Joe Biden,
Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tom Lantos, Ranking
Member, House International Relations Committee Jay Rockefeller, Vice
Chairman, Senate Intelligence Committee Jane Harman, Ranking Member,
House
Intelligence Committee Daniel Inouye, Ranking Member, Senate Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee John Murtha, Ranking Member, House Defense
Appropriations Subcommittee
--
He's not listening.....Send this to 'er...everyone in your address book!
*Had enough Republican lies*?
*Had enough Republican immorality*?
*Had enough Republican cronyism*?
*Had enough Republican corruption*?
*Had enough Republican bad judgment*?
*Had enough Republican incompetence*?
*Had enough Republican false religiosity*?
*Had enough Republican fear mongering*?
*Had enough Republican high fuel prices*?
*Had enough Republican unnecessary war*?
*Had enough Republican misrepresentation*?
*Had enough Republican secret government*?
*Had enough Republican illegal surveillance*?
*Had enough Republican failed foreign policy*?
*Had enough Republican financial mismanagement*?
"...*reality has a well-known liberal bias*",...*Colbert*
*Had Enough*?
*Vote Democratic*