MORE DEMOCRATS SAY: END THE WAR, RESTORE CHECKS AND BALANCES...
The list of Democratic congressional candidates who are committing to back the "Responsible Plan" movement to end the war in Iraq, guard against similarly wrongheaded wars, restore Constitutional principles and reform the media is growing rapidly.
When it was announced earlier this week that the "Responsible Plan to End the War In Iraq" -- an initiative conceived by Washington state's Darcy Burner, Maine's Chellie Pingress and a handful of other progressive women seeking House seats -- would be launched today, 25 House and Senate contenders had signed on.
By the time of the actual launch, the number of signers had risen to 42, including 38 House candidates and 4 Senate contenders. The list includes candidates such as Maryland's Donna Edwards, who has already won her primary and is all-but-certain to be elected in November, as well as many leading House contenders from other states. Some like Pingree are seeking open seats, some like Burner are challenging Republican incumbents, some like Iowa's Ed Fallon are taking on disappointing Democrats -- as Edwards did when she beat Congressman Al Wynn in Maryland's February primary.
All are challenging Democratic leaders in the House and Senate to stop pulling punches, just as they are suggesting a clearer course for the party's cautious presidential contenders.
That course is outlined as:
1. Ending U.S. military action in Iraq:
There is no military solution in Iraq. Our current course unacceptably holds U.S. strategic fortunes hostage to events in Iraq that are beyond our control; we must change course. Using diplomatic, political, and economic power, we can responsibly end the war and removing all of our troops from Iraq.
2. Using U.S. diplomatic power:
Much of the remaining work to be completed in Iraq requires the effective use of diplomatic power. Many of Iraq's neighbors are currently contributing to instability and need to be persuaded to assist instead in stabilization.
3. Addressing humanitarian concerns:
The humanitarian crisis caused by Iraq's situation is destabilizing to the region and damaging to America's moral credibility. We must both take responsibility for the Iraqis who are now endangered because of their assistance to the U.S. and begin to address the regional problems of displaced Iraqis.
4. Restoring our Constitution:
Many mistakes were made in the course of this war, and our systems of checks and balances have failed us at critical moments. To prevent repeating those mistakes, we must repair the underlying Constitutional framework of our republic and provide checks to executive authority. Balance must be restored between the executive and the judicial branch (for instance through the restoration of habeas corpus), between the executive and the legislative branch (for instance through clarifying that the President does not have the Constitutional authority to unilaterally alter legislation through signing statements), and between the executive and the people of the United States (for instance by clarifying that the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause and a warrant for the government to spy on Americans).
5. Restoring our military:
Repairing the damage done to our military will require reforms in contracting procedures, restoring benefits for members of the military and veterans, and investment in repairing or replacing damaged military equipment.
The need for contracting reform is substantial. Private militias have direct incentives to prolong the conflict rather than resolve it; their use needs to be phased out. Contractors must be legally accountable for their actions. War profiteering must be stopped, and those who have engaged in it need to answer for their actions.
The safety of our men and women in uniform requires that we adhere to international standards with respect to treatment of prisoners. We must also make it clear that the United States does not torture, and that we do not send people to other places to be tortured, either.
