Washington, D.C - One of the leading national figures in the anti-war movement, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey (D-Petaluma) was joined by 15  of her colleagues today, including Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and Oakland’s Barbara Lee in hearing testimony on the cost of the continued occupation of Iraq.

“This series of discussions, quite frankly, have been launched because I repeatedly requested for formal hearings from the relevant House committees and subcommittees…and was met with stone silence,” Woolsey said in her prepared remarks.  “They weren’t interested in asking the tough questions, or in hearing anything other than spin and happy talk.

“I didn’t think that was acceptable,” Woolsey continued, and “given everything Americans have sacrificed for this occupation -- including nearly 2,700 of their fellow citizens - I believe we’re entitled to some straight answers.  If the majority party in Congress won’t perform its oversight responsibilities, I guess we’ll just do it for them.”

This is the third in a series of forums that Woolsey has organized on the occupation of Iraq.  Today’s diverse group of panelists included General William Odom, who served as head of the NSA under President Reagan, and Dr. Paul Pillar who served in the CIA for 30 years.  They addressed declining American influence in the region, the inadequate state of our military readiness, and the situation in Iraq, respectively.  The panel also addressed the financial and opportunity costs of the continued occupation, a theme echoed by Woolsey:

“Congress has already appropriated $317 billion for the invasion and occupation [of Iraq], a staggering sum amounting to roughly $11 million every hour of every day,” Woolsey said.  “Of course in 2003, no one in the Bush Administration was prepared to admit that the price tag would climb this high.  Had Americans been given the facts, about both the money involved and the lack of WMDs, the President would never have received the green light to go into Iraq in the first place.”

Also on the panel were Chloe O’Gara (Save the Children), Anita Dancs (National Priorities Project), Peter Laufer (author) and Sergeant Patrick Cambell (Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America).  Other members who attended include: Carolyn Kilpatrick; Sheila Jackson-Lee; Steve Rothman; John Conyers; Maurice Hinchey; Major Owens; Marcy Kaptur; Sam Farr; Diane Watson; John Tierney; Rush Holt, Jan Schakowsky  and William Delahunt.