NO MORE FUNDING FOR IRAQ WITHOUT A CLEAR EXIT STRATEGY

[Kevin Spidel]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March, 9th 2005

Contact: Kevin Spidel
Email: [e-mail]


NO MORE FUNDING FOR IRAQ WITHOUT A CLEAR EXIT STRATEGY
Progressive Democrats of America leads Grassroots Action for a
National Call-in Day to oppose the $80 billion appropriation request for Iraq


(Washington, D.C.) -- On Thursday, March 10th, grassroots activists from across the country will be calling their congressional members to oppose the $80 billion appropriation request for Iraq. Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) has called for this National Call-In Day at the urging of its members, who represent some of the 44 million Americans opposed to the Iraq war and continued occupation. This National Call-In Day is part of a larger PDA campaign calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq and the reallocation of the military budget to urgent domestic concerns.

On Thursday, PDA members will be requesting opposition to the appropriation request as well as demanding that the Congressional Republican leadership permit public hearings, debate and amendments linking the funds to a strict timetable for military withdrawal and support for Iraqi sovereignty. One such amendment has been proposed by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA): House Resolution (H.Con.Res.35) to End the US Occupation of Iraq. In addition to the planned calls, PDA members have been sending e-mails to their Representatives regarding Iraq this week. PDA hopes to surpass their earlier e-mail campaign successes, including the 100,000 e-mails their members generated in support of the Ohio Election Investigations.

“To acquiesce to the President’s demand for even more money for Iraq without requiring a timeline for troop withdrawal is both foolhardy and dangerous,” says Tim Carpenter, Executive Director of PDA, “We need to support our troops by bringing them back safely, and to support America by using these funds to save desperately under-funded programs at home.”

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About Progressive Democrats of America

Progressive Democrats of America is one of the fastest growing political organizations in the country. PDA is currently active in all 50 states. PDA was formed to provide a counter-balance inside the Democratic Party to the Democratic Leadership Council. PDA has a national policy board of noteworthy thought leaders who are formulating the true Progressive position on issues of national security, economic progress, shared prosperity, sustainable ecology, equality for all and a peaceful, just future. Learn more about Progressive Democrats of America by visiting: http://www.pdamerica.org.

[Lerkfish]

1. hate to break it to everyone, but there is no exit strategy, because

not exiting IS the strategy.

there's fourteen PERMANENT military bases. There is no intention to leave, ever.

[Ian David]

2. But we DO have a tried-and-true exit strategy for Iraq!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v653/ian02302/hochiminh.bmp

[welshTerrier2]

3. and no support for invading Syria, Iran or anywhere else

we were handed all sorts of excuses for those Democrats who voted for the IWR ... they were "strengthening bush's hand so he could use diplomacy more effectively", "all the evidence seemed to show that Saddam did have WMD", "I wasn't voting for invasion; I was supporting the weapons inspectors" ... well, what's done is done ...

hopefully, those who were duped on the IWR now clearly understand that bush cannot be trusted ... there is a huge propaganda push coming from bush right now to make it seem like things really are working out in Iraq and throughout the Middle East; but they aren't !!! ...

the anti-US forces are as active as ever and there is no evidence that the "democratic elections" have resolved anything ... U.S. foreign policy is designed to serve trans-national corporations and not the true interests of the American people ... if elected Democrats don't get this, they are no longer worth supporting ... that is THE issue ... our foreign policy is totally corrupt ... support for more war, be it in Iraq or anywhere else, is totally unacceptable ...

if you contact your elected representatives, please let them know the issue goes far beyond just Iraq ... we don't need an isolationist foreign policy; we need a foreign policy that reflects the values of the American people and lifts the U.S. back into the good graces of the global community ... voting more money for bush's war agenda will never achieve that ...

[goodhue]

4. kick for PDA

[goodhue]

5. kick for National Call-In Day

[Padraig18]

6. Will they be demanding ham sandwiches and beer, too?

They have just about as much of a chance of success, seeing as the Repubs control both houses of Congress. God, gve me some progressives who actually have a realistic understanding of how the legislative process works!

:argh: