Democracy for New Mexico

U.S. House Debates Iraq While Polling Shows Strong Support for Congressional Action

The U.S. House of Representatives begins its three-day Iraq debate sometime this morning, leading to an expected Friday vote on the House Dem version of a nonbinding resolution against escalation. It's very simple:

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and

(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Each of the 435 House members will get five minutes to comment on the resolution. The debate will be broadcast live on CSPAN TV, video streamed on CSPAN.org and audio streamed at CSPAN radio online.

Meanwhile, the latest polling by USA Today/Gallup shows that:

• A majority supports congressional action on Iraq:
  • 51% back a non-binding resolution
  • 57% support a cap on troop levels
  • 63% want a timetable to withdraw all our troops by the end of 2008.
  • However, 58% oppose denying funding for the additional troops.
• The Senate's failure to act last week rankled nearly two-thirds of those surveyed. By 51%-19%, they blamed Republicans. In a party-line vote, Senate Republicans refused to cut off debate and let action proceed on a resolution opposing the troop increase.
• Seven of 10 say their representative's vote on the war will affect their vote in the next congressional election; more than four in 10 call it a major factor. However, nearly two-thirds aren't sure where their representative stands on the issue.

According to a Washington Post article the Repubs will be going all out to counteract the impact of as many as 60 of their members voting to support the resolution:

The GOP, whose members have conceded they are likely to lose, is treating the debate like a mini-political campaign, deploying a rapid-response team to counter Democrats' statements, aggressively trying to get its leaders on television and radio, and creating a "resource center" off the House floor where members can fill their arms with maps, research material, videos or other visual aids to use during their floor time.

"We may lose the vote, but we'll win the debate," said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Minority Leader (R-Ohio).

Meanwhile, more and more House Repubs are making statements like this:

"Every time I go to another funeral, every time I go to Walter Reed, people are really gracious, but what do you say? What are we doing over there now?" asked Rep. Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-Md.), whose Eastern Shore district has lost 23 service members in the war.

The narrowly worded resolution now being debated is considered as a first step on the road to stopping the war by House Dems, a number of whom will be creating additional roadblocks against any escalation of the war and setting up conditions that bring our troops home as soon as possible.

Keep the Spirit: Video of 2/27/07 Antiwar March in DC

From Thomas at local blog Bring Da Noise:
I had the great privilege of traveling to DC the weekend of January 27th for the HUGE anti-war march at the National Mall! I met some cool people, took some great photos, and collected some amazing footage. Check out the original short film I created with all this footage at BringDaNoise.com ! It's about 20 minutes long and if it doesn't start playing right away, press play. I posted some pictures on the front page too! Check it out!!

Iraq Quote of the Day: 363 Tons of Cash Goes Missing

"Over $4 billion in cash, which came from Iraqi oil exports and other sources, was sent by the Federal Reserve to Baghdad on pallets aboard U.S. military planes just before government control was given back to the Iraqis, Reuters says. The bills reportedly weighed hundreds of tons.

"Who in their right mind would send 363 tons of cash into a war zone? But that's exactly what our government did," Waxman said, according to Reuters." -- Raw Story

Feingold to Senate Dems: Stop the Weakness

Sen. Russ Feingold had this to say (and more) on "Countdown" last night about getting the Senate to take real action on Iraq:

"This requires public pressure. It requires people to let their elected officials know that not only do they want a debate, but they want action. They don't want just non-binding resolutions that say -- hey, we don't want to have more troops -- we want a resolution, we want legislation that says that here's a time frame during which this war needs to end -- lets' say six months from the enactment of the bill -- and that the Congress is going to cut off the funding for the war.... [Senators] want to sort of say they're against the war, but they don't want to take the steps to end the war."

Go watch the rest of his interview at Crooks and Liars. Sen. Feingold also had a conference call with national bloggers last night that pinned much of the blame for Dem foot-dragging on Iraq action on one of our favorite party elements -- the decrepit and despised DLC of Clintonista fame. Down With Tyranny discusses Feingold's call. Quote:

... it isn't only Republicans and right-wing Democrats like Ben Nelson dragging their feet on this. In fact, Russ told us the Inside-the-Beltway consultants (the old Clinton crowd) supported this war and know now they made a mistake of great historical proportions. They "don't want to come out of this with egg on their faces" and "they are setting the parameters of the debate"-- and Democratic senators are still listening to them ... "They want their cake and to eat it too since they voted for the war."

Down With Tyranny also provides a transcript of Feingold's opening remarks on the phone call. Excerpt:

...You know I went out again this weekend, in the very cold Wisconsin weather, just as I did in the previous two weekends, and I went to some of the most rural, Republican towns in the state and held town meetings. And you know this attitude about what should be done in Iraq is a consensus ... everywhere but in Washington. People do not want us to just slow walk this, they don’t want us to just worry about the escalation, they want us to get out of Iraq.

... [Regarding the Warner-Levin resolution], we should not sign onto something that in my view, looks almost like a reauthorization of what’s going on right now. It is incredibly weak, even dangerous, and I think reminds me more of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution than it does of a resolution that really gets us out of the situation.

David Sirota has an audio clip of his exchange with Feingold on the call that deals with the DLC-fueled inaction that stands in the way of real action. He suggests

You know what I'm going to say next. Please contact your Senators and other elected officials to urge their support of Sen. Feingold's Iraq Redeployment Act of 2007, which would use the power of the purse Congress is granted by the Constitution to redeploy most U.S. troops out of Iraq within six months.

I agree with Feingold that unless we keep up a CONSTANT BARRAGE of emails, calls and faxes to our elected officials, they'll continue to take the road of least resistance and refuse to take decisive action to get our troops out of the many-sided civil war in Iraq. You know what to do. Again. And again. And again. You can also participate in Act for Change's latest call for action. If we don't do it, who will?

Repub Senators Vote to Block Debate on Iraq War Resolution

Read all about it, and here's the U.S. Senate roll call. A 'Yea' means the Senator voted for cloture that would permit debate and voting on the Warner-Levin Resolution on Iraq. A 'Nay' means the Senator voted against cloture, blocking any discussion or voting on the measure. The measure needed 60 votes to move forward but got only 49. The only Repub Senators to vote Yea were Coleman (R-MN) and Collins (R-ME). No Democrats voted Nay except for Reid, who did it so for procedural reasons, so the matter can be raised again. Talk about Repubs caving. For instance, Hagel and Warner voted against bringing their own resolution to a clear up or down vote! The wrangling on this is expected to continue....

Feingold, Dodd Oppose Watered Down Warner-Levin Iraq Resolution

Read what Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) posted in his diary on Daily Kos. Excerpt:

When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee took up the Biden-Hagel resolution opposing the President’s troop escalation proposal last week, I supported it as a first step toward ending our involvement in this war.  That resolution didn’t go nearly far enough – it was nonbinding and just focused on the escalation – but putting the Senate on record against the "surge" was a small step in the right direction. 

Unfortunately, the new Warne-Levin resolution that many Democrats are pushing is flawed and unacceptable.  It rejects the surge, but it also misunderstands the situation in Iraq and endorses the President’s underlying approach.  It’s basically a back-door authorization of the President’s misguided policies, and passing it would be a big mistake.  Under the guise of constructive criticism, the Warner-Levin resolution signs off on  the President continuing indefinite military operations in Iraq that will not address the fundamental political challenges in Iraq, and that continue to distract us from developing a comprehensive and global approach to the threats that face our nation.

Could there be anything less helpful than a watered down version of a NON-BINDING Senate resolution? So far, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) has joined with Feingold in opposition to this silly compromise. According to a VOA News story:

Senator Chris Dodd, a Connecticut Democrat, argues that the resolution does not go far enough, because it does not call for the start of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq nor does it allow for congress to withhold funds for military mission.

"The legislation that my good friends John Warner and Carl Levin and others have reached a compromise on last evening is with all due respect essentially an endorsement of the status quo," he explained.  "For that reason, I cannot support it."

Here's Feingold's legislation, which proposes some real action to stop this bloody fiasco. I'm sure you can guess how many hollow Dems will step up, straighten their spines and support it.

More on Feingold's thinking. And his video explaining his bill:

According to a U.S. News and World Report article:

The AP reports Sens. Carl Levin and John Warner, the Chairman and ranking Republican, respectively, of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, have "joined forces...agreeing on a nonbinding resolution that would oppose the plan and potentially embarrass the White House." Warner and Levin "had been sponsoring competing measures opposing Bush's strategy of sending 21,500 more US troops to the war zone, with Warner's less harshly worded version attracting more Republican interest." The new resolution "would vow to protect funding for troops while keeping Warner's original language expressing the Senate's opposition to the buildup." The Washington Post also notes in a front page story that the resolution "does not include the Democratic language saying the Bush plan is against the national interest, but it also drops an earlier provision by Warner suggesting Senate support for some additional troops."

The Los Angeles Times, in a story titled "Senate Closer To Rebuke For Troop Increase," reports Majority Leader Harry Reid "said there was 'near unanimity' among Democrats" on backing the new measure, and "acknowledged that an alternative resolution sponsored by Sens. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.)...could not garner the GOP support to reach the 60 votes needed to overcome a promised Republican filibuster." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also last night, indicated the House would move toward passage of a resolution based on the Warner compromise language.

Oh yeah, I imagine BushCo will change course immediately when this toothless excuse for Congressional oversight most likely passes next week. You know how that bunch reacts to "embarrassment." If embarrassment and/or shame worked on Bush et al., we might still have a functioning constitution and Congress, and we'd never have invaded Iraq in the first place. You have to hand it to Pelosi, Reid and the other lemmings. They bite every time on that Repub bait, nothing if not paragons of consistency.

Iraq Escalation: Sign Up Now to Flood Congressional Switchboard Feb. 1

(Click image for larger version.)

Want to stop Bush? Sign up with MoveOn to use your phone to join their on Washington. They're trying to organize 1 million calls with members of Congress to lobby against the war on Thursday, February 1st, 2007. I'm in. Are you?

5th Annual Peace and Justice Day at the NM Legislature: Jan. 31

From the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center: Peace and Jusitice Day at the legislature!

BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM IRAQ!
DISMANTLE THE NUCLEAR WEAPONS AT KIRTLAND AFB!
STOP THE ESCALATION: NO WAR ON IRAN!
at the 5th Annual Peace & Justice Day, NM State Legislature
Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 9 AM to 2 PM (or so)

11 AM: News Conference in the Rotunda featuring Senator Jerry Ortiz y Pino and an overview of 2007 Peace and Justice Legislation, including

• A Memorial calling for immediate withdrawal of US Troops from Iraq,
• A Bill to create a New Mexico Office of Peace (SB499),
• A Joint Resolution calling for Impeachment of the President and Vice President (SJR5),
• A Memorial to Dismantle the 2500 Nuclear Weapons at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque (see earlier post), and
• A Bill requiring the state to provide testing of New Mexico military veterans for depleted uranium, a radioactive heavy metal used as a weapon in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

On critical issues such as these it is important for states to take action when the federal government will not.

Other legislative issues on which New Mexico and Senator Ortiz y Pino are taking the lead are Biodiesel Tax Credits (SB607), Election Day Registration, Medical Marijuana, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Military Recruitment in Public Schools.

Peace and Justice groups will have information tables all day in the West Halls of History displaying the human cost of war and work being done locally for Peace and Justice.

To carpool from the P&J Center in the morning, and for more info call 268-955. For more info on the legislation, contact Desi Brown, assistant to Senator Ortiz y Pino, (505) 256-0668 or desibrown@comcast.net.

Editor's Note: You can find and track legislation and get contact information on legislators at the NM Legislature website.

Photos and Report from Saturday's Albuquerque Antiwar March

Crowd gathers to hear speakers at Albuquerque's Robinson Park after march. All photos courtesy of Tom Solomon. (Click on photos for larger versions.)

Submitted by Terry Riley:
What did we get done Saturday? We had about 1,000 people mobilized in Albuquerque to march from our three representatives' offices speaking out against the troop buildup AND against Bush. We all saw what was going on and the police saw what was going on. We did not affect many people's lives like we would if we shut down the Big I. What we did do though is we got coverage on ALL THREE Albuquerque network affiliates. We were interviewed and our signs appeared on TV screens all over Albuquerque. We got coverage in Sunday's paper as well. We collectively spoke out in support of SJR05, the resolution in the New Mexico Legislature to Impeach Bush and Cheney that is sponsored by Senators Gerald Ortiz y Pino and John Grubesic.

Marching in downtown Albuquerque

That is a lot! We got a lot done! We also lit fires under citizens who have been afraid to speak up, who feared that there was nothing that could be done. We have hope and Saturday's demonstration was an example of the hope!

Filling downtown sidewalk

Now that you have seen the power of the people I am asking everybody who reads this to PLEASE do EVERYTHING that you can possibly do to make sure that the New Mexico Legislature passes the resolution to Impeach Bush! We hold the power IF we work together! Now is the time to speak up!

Paul Stokes (2nd from left) of United Voters NM and crowd stopped at congressional offices

Call your state legislator - NOW! Call the Governor's office - NOW! (I mean during office hours.) Call Congressman Udall's office - NOW! New Mexico's legislators do respond to the people. We are allowed to speak in every committee hearing in the legislature and if we ask for an appointment we can demonstrate or hold a press conference in the Rotunda. We have the opportunity and we have the responsibility. I am asking any of you who can possibly do it to stay tuned and show up when this bill is heard in committee and support it, to call your state representatives and Governor and tell them that you want Bush and Cheny Impeached. If you have some time, call EVERY legislator. Public pressure can work! Try it! (Editor's Note: For more information on the NM impeachment effort and how to get involved, visit our archived posts on this issue.)

Terry Riley and Albuquerque CodePINK unfurl their Fire the Liars banner next to Robinson Park rally
Tom Solomon (in hat) and daughter (right) with his IM-PEACH sign
NM Rep. Dede Feldman (right) speaks at rally
No comment necessary
Speakers at Robinson Park in downtown Albuquerque
Charioteer for peace
Counter protestors - all 6 of them!

KRQE News online has reporting and video on the demonstration here and here.

Editor's Note: Thanks to Stop the War Machine and all the supporting organizations for a job well done. Thanks to Terry Riley for the report and Tom Solomon for the photos.

No More War: Protests Nationwide Today

Today's DC protest. Click for slideshow of more.

UPDATE 1.28.07: The LA Times is reporting the DC crowd as "almost 100,000"!
Good to see there's a large turnout at today's bring the troops home march in DC, organized by United for Peace and Justice. The media is reporting numbers in the "tens of thousands." CSPAN had live TV coverage this morning that will probably be repeated, and should have video on their website later. Activities will continue on Monday when activists will be walking the halls of Congress lobbying members to take action to stop the escalation and start bringing the troops home. Marches and rallies are also taking place in communities all over America today, including right here in Albuquerque. Large events are empowering but sometimes I think it's the smaller, local events that can be the most effective, tied to the communities where they take place.

If you have comments about protest events you attended today, add them here. If you have photos from an event and would like to see them posted here, send them to me by clicking on the Email Me link on the upper left-hand corner of our main page. In the meantime, here are some photos sent in by Stephen Fettig of a march in Los Alamos earlier this month, when there were thousands of demonstrations all across the nation to stop more troops from being sent to Iraq. Click on photos for larger images:

No ...More ...
Troops!