WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) today, led 24 Members of Congress in introducing a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives calling on President Bush to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Earlier this month, Woolsey led 15 Members of Congress in sending a letter to President Bush requesting the return of U.S. troops from Iraq.

“We got ourselves into this mess,” said Rep. Woolsey. “Now it’s time to support American troops by bringing them home.”

Continues Woolsey, “While the initial invasion of Iraq may have occurred with minimal troop deaths, the subsequent occupation of the country has been anything but successful -- American soldiers and Iraqi civilians continue to die in staggering numbers, American taxpayers continue to spend millions of dollars every day on a losing effort, and Iraq is no closer to becoming a stable democracy than it was two years ago.

“In fact, the presence of nearly 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq is a rallying point for anti-American sentiment in the Arab world. Even worse, the U.S. military presence in Iraq is nothing short of stifling to the prospect of democracy. How can democracy possibly take root if forced upon the Iraqi people by the barrel of a gun?

“We should not abandon Iraq; there is still a critical role for the United States in providing the development aid that can help create a civil society, support education and rebuild Iraq’s economic infrastructure. But the military option is clearly not working.”

The resolution that Rep. Woolsey will introduce later today calls on the President to take the following action:

1. Develop and implement a plan to begin the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq;

2. Develop and implement a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq’s civil and economic infrastructure;

3. Convene an emergency meeting of Iraq’s leadership, Iraq’s neighbors, the United Nations, and the Arab League to create an international peacekeeping force in Iraq and to replace U.S. military forces with Iraqi police and National Guard forces to ensure Iraq's security; and

4. Take all necessary steps to provide the Iraqi people the opportunity to completely control their internal affairs.

The following are the original co-sponsors of Rep. Lynn Woosley’s resolution: Reps. Xavier Becerra, John Conyers, Danny Davis, Lane Evans, Sam Farr, Raul Grijalva, Maurice Hinchey, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Dennis Kucinich, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Barbara Lee, John Lewis, Jim McDermott, Cynthia McKinney, Gwen Moore, Grace Napolitano, Major Owens, Ed Pastor, Charlie Rangel, Jan Schakowsky, Jose Serrano, Pete Stark, Maxine Waters, and Diane Watson.