Only one member of either house of Congress voted against invading Afghanistan

[NNN0LHI]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Lee

Barbara Lee

Barbara Jean Lee (born July 16, 1946) is the U.S. Representative for California's 9th congressional district, serving since 1998. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman to represent that district. Lee was the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and was the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Lee is notable as the only member of either house of Congress to vote against the authorization of use of force following the September 11, 2001 attacks. This made her a hero among many in the anti-war movement. Lee has been a vocal critic of the war in Iraq and supports legislation creating a Department of Peace.

The vote against AUMF

Lee gained national attention in 2001 as the only member of congress to vote "No" on the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF), stating that she voted no not because she opposed military action but because she believed the AUMF, as written, granted overly-broad powers to wage war to the president at a time when the facts regarding the situation were not yet clear. She "warned her colleagues to be 'careful not to embark on an open-ended war with neither an exit strategy nor a focused target.'" Lee explained "It was a blank check to the president to attack anyone involved in the September 11 events—anywhere, in any country, without regard to our nation's long-term foreign policy, economic and national security interests, and without time limit. In granting these overly broad powers, the Congress failed its responsibility to understand the dimensions of its declaration.... The president has the constitutional authority to protect the nation from further attack and he has mobilized the armed forces to do just that. The Congress should have waited for the facts to be presented and then acted with fuller knowledge of the consequences of our action."

This vote made nationwide news reports and brought about a large and extremely polarized response, with the volume of calls gridlocking the switchboard of her Capitol Hill office. Although it appears to have reflected the beliefs of the majority of her constituents, the majority of responses from elsewhere in the nation were angry and hostile, some referring to her as "communist" and "traitor". Many of the responses included death threats against her or her family to the point that the Capitol Police provided round-the-clock plainclothes bodyguards. She was also criticized by politicians and in editorial pages of conservative-leaning newspapers, e.g. John Fund's column in The Wall Street Journal.

[morningfog]

1. The AUMF is the worst legislation of a generation. Written in fear and haste.

It has left us with over a decade of endless war on a global battlefield, eroded our civil liberties and degraded us a nation. It should be repealed, it never should have passed.

[Ezlivin]

2. 9/11 was the key to dismantling our liberties

It was a wonderful "gift" to the Neocons.

And anytime the American public starts to grow weary and wish to reduce DoD expenditures, another terror attack will bring 'em right back into line.

Whether you believe the events of 9/11 took place as we were told or otherwise, it definitely was a very successful psychological operation.

[Iggy]

4. Exactly

I'm old enough to remember the "communist threat" bullcrap propaganda.

Go back and read that propaganda sometime; simply replace "communist threat"
with "Islamic extremists" or "Muslim terrorists" and you'll see how simple it all
is.

[Art_from_Ark]

7. And before the Commies (Reds),

there was the "Yellow Peril".

[Iggy]

3. Lee, and Robert Byrd, are True Patriots/Heros

95% of congress is dangerously incompetent and derelict in their sworn
duties.

Last time I checked our Constitution, only Congress is authorized to declare and fund war.
With the AUMF, congress abrogated its constitutionally mandated power- handing
it over to the executive.

What a surprise! later the executive more or less admitted he lied regarding the
principle reason (WMDs) for invading and occupying a sovereign nation.

Weak, very weak.

There's reason why the founding fathers set up a three branch federal gov't-- to
provide checks agains the kind of bullcrap called the AUMF.

The fact numerous "democrats" jumped right on the bandwagon and voted in support
of the AUMF gets free pass in much of political Bloggo world-- but not from me.

Congress = FAIL.

[rhett o rick]

5. I remember just prior to the invasion

of Iraq, Sen Tom Daschle gave a very impassioned speech outlining the many, many reasons why invading Iraq was a bad idea. At the end of the speech he said he would vote in favor. One of the most disappointing moments of my life.

We elect Democrats to try to keep the Repukes under control and they let us down. They let down a hundred thousand innocent Iraqi children.

If you hold the leash of a mad dog and let him go, you are equally responsible for the carnage.

[Fumesucker]

6. It's practically a truism now that the more bipartisan a bill is the worse it is for the country...

That trend was well established by 2001.

Republicans have the Sadim touch, that's Midas spelled backward, anything, particularly gold, that they vote for is inevitably going to turn to shit. When Democrats vote along with the Republicans that doesn't keep the Republican gold from turning to shit, it just drags the Democrats right into the shit where the Republicans beat them with natural aptitude and experience.