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| Win Without War Coalition Calls on Congress to Reject Request for $100 Billion More for War |
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NEW YORK – The Win Without War Coalition, marking the fifth anniversary of the U.S. Invasion of Iraq March 19, has called on Congress to reject President Bush's request for an additional $102.5 billion to continue the U.S. occupation in Iraq. The call comes in the form of an open letter to Congress addressed to Rep. John P. Murtha (R-Pa.), chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. Murtha has described U.S. military policy in Iraq as "muddled" and warns that the danger to U.S. troops has increased because U.S. forces are stretched beyond their limits. Win Without War is calling on Americans who oppose the war to sign on to the open letter. "Our plan is to present the letter at the Capitol just before the vote," said Ryan Anderson, Coalition Coordinator. "While the date has not been set, we suspect that it will occur in three to four weeks. Win Without War is a coalition of 40 religious and secular organizations including the National Council of Churches USA that advocates "fundamental changes to U.S. policy that will bring our troops home safely and quickly while promoting the creation of a sovereign and peaceful Iraq." The coalition describes its members as "patriotic Americans committed to a U.S. foreign policy that embodies our nation's highest ideals ... We share the commitment to countering terrorism and weapons proliferation, but oppose the doctrine of unilateral military preemption." National Council of Churches General Secretary, the Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, has endorsed the open letter to Congress. In a separate statement released March 19, Kinnamon said, the war has been a ‘disastrous mistake' and should be brought to an end." "Anyone can observe that U.S. aggression is spawning new generations of terrorists," Kinnamon said, "but the Christian critique runs deeper. Because human life is interdependent, because we are all children of one Creator, security can never be won through unilateral defense." Common security is not born out of Christian idealism but is a practical approach to peace, Kinnamon said. "Christians are realistic about evil in the world and, therefore, about the threat of terrorism," he said. "We reject any ideology, however, which demonizes others while claiming all righteousness for ourselves; and we refuse to define life as a zero-sum game in which our security is gained at the expense of others." The open letter to Congress complains, "The war has hollowed out our military, diverted resources from the battle against al Qaeda and from homeland security, and deeply damaged out reputation abroad." Lamenting the loss of 4,000 U.S. soldiers and the death and displacement of millions of Iraqis, the letter notes that spending an additional $100 billion on the war is "a waste of federal dollars ... when our nation faces an economic recession. The full text of the open letter follows: The Honorable John P. Murtha Dear Chairman Murtha, As we enter the sixth year of the Iraq War, we urge you to draft a new supplemental appropriations bill that will direct the president to immediately begin the orderly removal of all U.S troops from Iraq and complete this process as quickly and safely as possible. The Iraq War has taken the lives of nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers and caused the death and displacement of millions of Iraqis. Congress has already approved $500 billion for the war in direct costs. Our nation faces trillions in additional costs to care for veterans' injuries suffered in the course of this conflict, not to mention the costs of financing the war. This waste of federal dollars comes at a time when our nation faces an economic recession. The war has hollowed out our military, diverted resources from the battle against al Qaeda and from homeland security, and deeply damaged our reputation abroad. Despite clear mandates from your subcommittee and Congress to seek a change in course, Senate Republicans and President Bush have combined to veto measures calling for a sensible withdrawal from Iraq. In January, the President went even further, issuing a signing statement saying that his Administration is not bound by the provision in the 2008 Defense Authorization Act that bars the use of appropriated funds in this Act for the construction of permanent American military bases and U. S. control over Iraqi oil resources. He also rejected language to establish an independent, bipartisan "Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan" to investigate allegations of waste, mismanagement, and excessive force by contractors. Furthermore, at the end of last year, President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki signed a "Declaration of Principles" providing an outline for negotiating an "enduring" U.S.-Iraq relationship for security, economic, political, diplomatic, and cultural relations. President Bush has rejected the notion that Congress has a role in these negotiations over the future U.S. presence in Iraq. With these actions, the President has made clear his intention to stay the course in Iraq while deepening the U.S. military commitment for an indefinite time and attempting to tie the hands of the next President. Mr. Chairman, it is past time to bring the Iraq war to an end. The costs are too great to allow it to continue indefinitely. The best course of action in the upcoming supplemental appropriation's bill is to provide funding only for the safe and timely redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq and end the occupation. As part of a responsible redeployment, we support funding for a diplomatic offensive as suggested by the Iraq Study Group. Greater resources and resolve for diplomacy to the Iraq War are needed for a comprehensive solution. In addition, we strongly urge you to cease funding for military construction in Iraq and for U.S. military contractors in Iraq. Given the President's use of signing statements on these issues, the only way to ensure compliance with Congress' directives is to remove such funding. Finally, we ask that it be made clear that no funds will be made available for any formal U.S.-Iraq agreement based upon the Bush-Maliki "Declaration of Principles" unless the agreement is approved by Congress and the Iraqi parliament. Thank you for your continued leadership in the effort to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home. Your courage and tenacity in the face of attacks and criticisms is most admirable. We are eager to work with you and your colleagues in the critical weeks and months ahead to end the debacle in Iraq and bring our men and women in uniform home. Sincerely, The Win Without War Coalition |
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