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Out of Afghanistan Caucus (#360)
Watch Video | | May 26, 2010 | |
| Mr. Speaker, in the year 2005, I joined my colleagues and fellow Californians, Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee, and other strong progressives in forming the Out of Iraq Caucus. That group was critical in galvanizing support for an end to the Iraq war and a return of our troops safely home.
Before we formed the Out of Iraq Caucus, Mr. Speaker, questioning the occupation of Iraq was considered a political death wish, but because we had the courage to speak out and to organize, ours became a firmly mainstream position. Without the work we did and the pressure we applied and the growth of our Out of Iraq Caucus, we would not be poised for redeployment out of Iraq later this year.
It's now time for those of us who oppose the war in Afghanistan--a bloc that's growing every single day--to do the same thing. I urge Members on both sides of the aisle to join the new Out of Afghanistan Caucus, formally launched by my friend Mr. Conyers from Michigan.
As Afghanistan becomes more bloody, more expensive, and, frankly, more hopeless, we must rally with the same sense of purpose and fearlessness as we did in 2005 in the debate over Iraq. Every day, it seems, brings more bad news out of Afghanistan. The United States death toll has topped 1,000. According to news reports, for the first time we now have more troops in Afghanistan than we do in Iraq, and the combined costs of both wars is fast approaching $1 trillion--that's trillion with a ``T,'' Mr. Speaker.
The American people are losing patience with this war, and who can blame them? For 8 1/2 years, they have sent their finest men and women and their hard-earned taxpayer dollars halfway around the world only to find that the Taliban is resurgent, the terrorist threat remains strong, and Afghanistan remains mired in corruption, violence, and poverty. At just the moment when we need to draw down, we are doubling down. We're pouring thousands of troops into Kandahar for an all-eggs-in-one-basket offensive that no one seems confident will succeed.
With all that in mind, how can we, in the House of Representatives, not speak with a louder and more unified voice against this war? But we in the Out of Afghanistan Caucus are not calling for an abandonment of the country. We just believe that a military occupation, which has had nearly a decade to work, can't achieve the objectives of stability and security for the Afghan people.
What we need is diplomacy. We need humanitarian aid, support for democracy building and civil society programs. What we need are more resources for agriculture, education, and infrastructure. These are the tools of a smart security strategy that can empower the Afghan people in a way that sheds no more blood.
Mr. Speaker, warfare has only led to more warfare, emboldening the very enemy we're trying to defeat. A peaceful civilian surge is actually the only answer.
I ask my colleagues to join me in becoming a part of the Out of Afghanistan Caucus and help bring our troops home. |
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