Edwards Campaign: Congress Has Power to Stop Escalation

I rarely post these kinds of messages from campaigns, but John Edwards has been speaking out so strongly against Bush's Iraq escalation that I thought their request merited your attention. Quote:

"If you're in Congress and you know this war is going in the wrong direction, it is no longer enough to study your options and keep your own counsel. Silence is betrayal. Speak out, and stop this escalation now. You have the power to prohibit the president from spending any money to escalate the war — use it."  --John Edwards, speech at New York's Riverside Church on MLK Day (Visit the John Edwards 08 website to see the whole speech.)

From John Edwards 08:
It's an honor to send my first note to you as John Edwards' new Campaign Manager. I'll take more time to introduce myself soon, but right now I'm writing you with an urgent call to action. This weekend, President Bush claimed on national TV that Congress does not have the power to stop his proposed escalation of the war in Iraq.*

That's bull. I served in Congress for 26 years, and I can assure you that Congress does have the power to stop this escalation -- and it has used that power many times before, including in Vietnam, Lebanon, Nicaragua and Colombia.

The test for today's Congress is simple: will they step up to the plate and use their power to stop the president from escalating the war? I can tell you one thing -- they're only going to do that if they hear from you. That's why we're going to run a full-page ad in Roll Call -- the newspaper all of Congress reads -- with John Edwards' petition against the escalation, listing the tens of thousands of us who have signed it. The petition demands that this Congress use its power of the purse to stop this president from escalating the war in Iraq -- and that's what we're going to put in the ad.

Can you pitch in $25 or more to help get this critical ad in front of Congress A.S.A.P. and support our grassroots campaign?

As I write this, both houses of Congress are considering how to respond to Bush's plan. Some are calling for symbolic statements that do nothing to stop the escalation. If you hear a member of Congress say "non-binding resolution," then you're really hearing them say "pass the buck."

Others -- like John Edwards -- are calling on Congress to stand up and take responsibility by using its power to prevent this war from getting any worse. And some members of Congress are waiting for -- well, we don't know what they're waiting for. It's time to speak up. And it's up to us to let Congress know where the American people stand.

Your contribution -- of any amount you can afford -- will help us rush this ad into production and get it on the desk of every member of Congress and their staff before they make this historic decision. And your contribution will help keep this grassroots campaign for change going strong in these critical early months.

Please chip in to help stop this escalation today.

It's an honor for me to work alongside so many dedicated folks like you who aren't willing to wait to make this country a better place. Together, I know we'll accomplish great things.

David Bonior, Campaign Manager
John Edwards for President

P.S. - If you haven't yet signed the petition calling on Congress to block the escalation, click here. And please forward this email to your friends and family, and ask them to join you in speaking out.

Sources:
*"Bush: Congress Can't Stop Surge," U.S. News and World Report Political Bulletin, January 15, 2007 (link)