Letter to Senators: Vote No on Bush's Quagmire

Letter to Senators: Vote No on Bush's Quagmire
By Mike Hersh, Sep 26, 2003

Mike Hersh used the Working Assets website to send this letter to his Senators: http://www.workingforchange.com/. You should too. Right now.

Dear Senator:

I am using an online service to send this, but these heartfelt words are my own. I have the highest respect for you. I've worked as a volunteer to help you win elections in the past, I look forward to doing so again, and I am so proud to have you represent me in the Senate.

I hope you will demand separate votes on various portions of the special appropriation request for Iraq. I believe you should approve the $20 billion our troops need, but not the other $billions - what your colleague Sen. Kennedy calls bribery. Our troops need our support, but we should not spend $billions to enrich corporations like Halliburton.

If this effort to sever the appropriation fails, please vote no on Mr. Bush's request for $87 billion for Iraq. Even if the administration accounts for that spending and tells us how they plan to extricate us from this quagmire, we cannot trust them to do what's right.

Mr. Bush has not told you or the American people the truth about Iraq. He exaggerated "intelligence" about weapons of mass destruction and pretended it was evidence. He also refused to tell us the costs of the invasion, the occupation or reconstruction. When his top economic advisor told us the cost, the administration fired him for telling the truth.

The cost of this war - fought on false if not fraudulent pretexts - is crowding out all other needs from homeland security to health care. Bush's arrogance alienated our allies and forced us to go it alone with help only from the UK - which is in turmoil over PM Tony Blair's similar scandals and mistakes. How long can we count on even their support?

We cannot afford to give Mr. Bush another blank check. We need the US out and the UN in Iraq as soon as possible. Granting $87 billion would only enable further abuses and even worse mistakes. Please demand a full, public and independent investigation of Bush's misleading statements about weapons of mass destruction and the other pretexts for this war was promoted. Please demand answers and accountability. Support our troops, but do not vote for the full $87 billion request.

Lastly, I don't ask you to just vote against squandering funds we desperately need in the US. I ask you to lead the fight for accountability and against this waste of our money. Please contact me to report your plans on this critical matter at the email or regular address provided.

Sincerely,

Mike Hersh

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