( - promoted by SFBrianCL)
Friends,
Over 2,650 lives, and more than $300 billion later, the occupation of Iraq remains one of the greatest leadership failures of our time. President Bush failed to find any WMD's, failed to be honest about the invasion, failed to use a sound military strategy, failed the people of Iraq, and perhaps most importantly, failed us, the American public.
His vendetta in Iraq has cost our country our sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters, husbands and wives. While children struggle to learn in crumbling schools, and families are forced to find a way to put food on their tables, this occupation has cost our country the ability to address our real national priorities.
$300 billion could have fixed our schools, secured our ports and provided health care to millions in need. 2,650 people could have supported their families and enriched our great country. Intelligence experts and other Pentagon officials could have concentrated on finding Osama bin Laden. |
| On Tuesday, September 26th, I will be holding a Congressional forum on the cost of the continuing occupation of Iraq. This is the third such forum that I have held on the subject of Iraq over the past year. Each time bringing our troops home has been a focal point.
When I spoke up in January of 2005, I was the first member of Congress to call for withdrawal, but I was certainly not alone. While the politicians in Washington were too afraid, or too blind, to support a call for a withdrawal, I was joined by many of you throughout the country, who were leading the grassroots effort against this unjust war.
On Tuesday I will be joined by a number of my colleagues, and expert witnesses will speak to the different costs of this war, including Lt. General William Odom (who served as the Director of the NSA under President Reagan) and Dr. Paul Pillar (a 30 year veteran of the CIA).
So far the mainstream media has failed to seriously cover these forums, preventing the American public from participating in an honest debate on this crucial subject, that’s why I need you to help me reach out, and I urge all of you to join in this debate. Politicstv.com will be providing coverage of our hearing, starting later in the afternoon on Tuesday. We are hoping that C-Span will cover the event live. And you can read the full testimony of all of our experts on my website at www.woolsey.house.gov afterwards. While we will have limited space in the room for members of the public, I would like to extend an invitation to any bloggers in the DC area who would like to attend. You can contact my office at 202-225-6101 for information on getting there and getting in, and to reserve a space.
As the American public, and those here in Congress, realize just how costly a mistake the occupation has been, it is more important than ever that we keep up the pressure. Please join me in this important debate.
-Lynn |
