May 29th, 2007 by admin
Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Gravel has a strategy to end the war in Iraq by September 2007 — with all U.S. troops home by Christmas 2007.
Recognizing that under our Constitution the power of the Congress is superior to the power of the President, Senator Gravel proposes that Congress pass a law making the war in Iraq illegal. Failure to comply with the law would be punishable by 5 years in jail – without possibility of parole. That includes the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Treasury. All are required to follow the law, as is any other American citizen.
Of course, once the law is passed by the House and the Senate, President Bush will veto it. Mike Gravel’s strategy calls for Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bring the veto override to a vote every day at noon (7 days a week, without congressional vacations), forcing the media spotlight to shine on those congressional representatives who are failing to override the President’s veto and are thus prolonging the war.
The strategy is designed to give the American people time to become aware of Congress’s activities and weigh in about the Constitutional confrontation between Congress and the President. Ultimately, pressure from their constituents will produce a two-thirds majority sufficient to override the President‘s veto. (When the law is filibustered in the Senate initially, the same procedure would apply.)
Senator Gravel is a legislative strategist. He served two terms in the U.S. Senate fighting for causes unpopular in Congress and winning against the odds. His accomplishments include ending the military draft through a Senate filibuster and hastening an end to the Vietnam war through his release of the Pentagon Papers. If adopted in the Senate and the House, his strategy for ending the Iraq war will work.
Thus far Congress’s efforts to curtail the Iraq war have given us a Nonbinding Resolution and an embarrassing Symbolic Vote. Now they’ve capitulated to President Bush on the proposed 2008 deadlines for troop withdrawal.
Many Americans want to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and they should be impeached. But that’s a lengthy process; and given the narrow majority held by Democrats, impeachment is unlikely. Meanwhile, our soldiers and Iraqis are dying every day America stays in Iraq. There will be ample time to pursue impeachment and possible criminal charges once our troops are safely home.
For the full text of this plan, see Senator Mike Gravel’s STRATEGIC PLAN TO SECURE WITHDRAWAL OF ALL AMERICAN TROOPS FROM IRAQ and the proposed legislation that implements the strategy — THE UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ ACT.
Senator Gravel hopes American citizens will someday have a direct voice in government policy with a National Ballot Initiative. Until that time, Americans must demand courage and action from Congress – not Politics as Usual. Send copies of the Plan and the Act to your congressional representatives. Tell them to bring our troops home before Christmas 2007.
