[THS] Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan

[Peter Webster]

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24926.htm

Kucinich Forces Congress to Debate Afghanistan

By Robert Naiman

March 06, 2010 "Information Clearing House" --  On Thursday Ohio Representative
Dennis Kucinich introduced H. Con Res. 248, a privileged resolution with 16 original
cosponsors that will require the House of Representatives to debate whether to
continue the war in Afghanistan. Debate on the resolution is expected early next
week.

Original cosponsors of the Kucinich resolution include John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI); Ron
Paul (R-TX); José Serrano (D-NY); Bob Filner (D-CA); Lynn Woolsey (D-CA); Walter
Jones, Jr. (R-NC); Danny Davis (D-IL); Barbara Lee (D-CA); Michael Capuano (D-
MA); Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ); Tammy Baldwin (D-WI); Timothy Johnson (R-IL); Yvette
Clarke (D-NY); Eric Massa (D-NY); Alan Grayson (D-FL); and Chellie Pingree (D-ME).

The Pentagon doesn't want Congress to debate Afghanistan. The Pentagon wants
Congress to fork over $33 billion more to pay for the current military escalation, no
questions asked, no restrictions imposed for a withdrawal timetable or an exit
strategy.

Ideally, from the point of view of the Pentagon, Congress would fork over that money
right away, before the coming Kandahar offensive that the $33 billion is supposed to
pay for, because you can expect a lot of bad news out of Afghanistan in the form of
deaths of American soldiers and Afghan civilians once the Kandahar offensive starts,
and it would sure be awkward if all that bad news reached Washington while the $33
billion was hanging fire.

So it's a great thing that Rep. Kucinich and his 16 allies are forcing Congress to
debate the issue, and it would be even better if more Members of Congress would be
urged by their constituents to support Kucinich's resolution. That would be a signal to
the House leadership that continuation of the open-ended war and occupation is
controversial in the House, and the House leadership should not try to ram through
$33 billion more for the war on a fast-track without ample opportunity for debate and
amendment.

Every day the Afghanistan war continues is another day on which the United States
Government plays Russian Roulette with the lives of American soldiers and Afghan
civilians.

The British Government has more urgency than the U.S. government about ending
the war - and is more supportive than the U.S. of a political solution to end the
conflict - because in Britain there is greater public outcry.

If there were greater public and Congressional outcry in the U.S., we could be more
like Britain, and get our government on board the train to a political solution, instead
of prolonging the war indefinitely.

The first step towards bringing our troops home is for Members of Congress to hear
from their constituents.