End War Funding, Begin War Investigations

The peace movement has been right since before the war began, and should be listened to now about how to end this war and prevent future ones. The peace movement includes the majority of Americans, who have told pollsters they oppose the war and who voted accordingly on Nov. 7, 2006.

Support for sending additional troops to Iraq is at 11% (CNN) or 12% (LA Times). Opposition to the war is at 67% (CNN), and 54% want all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2007 (CNN). U.S. voters want the war to end. A "troop surge" is a betrayal of the voters, as is maintaining current troop levels.

We have two main requests, and we have majority opinion and an active movement behind them:

1. No More Funding for This War
We urge you to use the power given to Congress by the Constitution.
A. Vote no on the upcoming "supplemental" spending bill and any other bills that include funds to extend the occupation of Iraq.
B. Cosponsor and vote yes on Congressman Jim McGovern's "Safe and Orderly Withdrawal Act of 2007" and any other bill that cuts off future funding of the war.
C. Pass legislation to shift some of the spending of the $70 billion already set aside for the war this year to safely bringing our troops home in an orderly fashion; bringing in a temporary Muslim force; training an Iraqi police force; funding the reconstruction of Iraq by Iraqis; removing landmines and depleted uranium; dismantling blast walls and wire barriers; restoring archaeological sites; training lawyers, judges, journalists, and social workers in Iraq; bringing back professional Iraqis who emigrated; rebuilding Iraq's public health system; compensating the families of civilians killed and tortured; and providing health care and education for our veterans when they return home.

2. Investigate the Case Made for This War and the Way it Has Been Conducted
We urge you to listen to the majority of Americans (ABC/Washington Post) and investigate the following areas:
A. Misuse of intelligence and fraud by the White House in making the case for this war.
B. Waste, fraud, and misuse of funds, including in launching the war in secret, and in construction of permanent bases.
C. War crimes, extraordinary rendition, and torture.

We urge members of the new House Select Intelligence Oversight Panel as well as the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, and the House Government Reform Committee to address A.

We urge members of the House Government Reform and Appropriations Committees, and the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees to address B.

We urge members of the House Armed Services and Judiciary Committees, and the Senate Armed Services and Judiciary Committees to address C.

We urge members of the House Veteran's Affairs Committee to address C, and in particular the effects of depleted uranium.

We urge every member of the House and Senate to pursue these investigations in order to restore the rule of law and a system of checks and balances to our government. We believe we will best be able to move forward and avoid the same mistakes in the future if we complete a thorough public review of the conduct of the executive branch during the course of this war and the lead-up to it.