a letter from my congressman

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, I voted for two bills in the House that chart a path to end U.S. involvement in the war and bring our troops home safely. President Bush remains stubbornly wedded to his failed Iraq policy. Since he and those who continue to vote to support his position in Congress have no strategy to end the war, Congressional Democrats will lead the way out of the Iraq disaster the President has created.

The McGovern Act, H.R. 2237, requires the Defense Department to begin to redeploy American troops out of Iraq 90 days after enactment of the legislation with all combat troops home within 180 days. The bill would allow a limited number of U.S. troops in Iraq to conduct targeted operations against al Qaeda, train Iraqi forces and protect U.S. diplomats. It would also prohibit funding for the President’s ‘surge’ unless specifically authorized by Congress. Unfortunately this measure failed by a vote of 171-265.

H.R. 2206, passed by the House last night, is a new version of the Iraq Accountability Act that President Bush vetoed on May 2nd. In contrast with the blank checks Republican Congresses gave the President, it compels progress in Iraq by conditioning funding. It withholds approximately half the Iraq spending until the President tells Congress by July 13th whether the Iraqi government has met specific benchmarks and goals. At that point, Congress would then hold two votes that present members with a choice: either release the remaining funds, or direct the funds only for an orderly and safe withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. I urge the Senate to act swiftly to pass H.R. 2206 and send it to the President. I will continue to use the power of Congress to end U.S. involvement in the Iraq civil war.
Sincerely,

U.S. Representative

1st District of Maine

Dear Rep. Allen,

I am not pleased that you voted to "bring the troops home" from Iraq. You have shown to our soldiers, the world, and our enemies that many of our representatives want to lose the war. You would rather see that our dead soldiers and Marines have made the ultimate sacrifice for nothing than to link victory with a Republican president.

I am not happy with the way things are going in Iraq- no American is. However, defeat should not be an option. If we had the same Congress in session after Bull Run, the Confederates would have won the Civil War, and after Normandy, WWII would have been lost. We must win the war against Islamofacism, otherwise all Americans will live in fear for the rest of history.

Please reconsider your cut-and-run stand in Iraq. You owe it to our soldiers, sailors, and Marines.

Kat *

a proud Navy wife