Darcy Burner: "Let me repeat: we will be creating a plan to end the war and bring our troops home."

[understandinglife]

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And third, well, third is a big one. One of the biggest problems we have in applying the political pressure necessary to bring our troops home from Iraq is that there isn’t a plan we can point to and say, "THIS is what I support as a responsible plan for ending the war." Certainly the Bush administration has done their utmost to stifle the creation or release of such a plan from our current military planners. The leadership in Congress hasn’t given us one to rally around, either. So I decided it was time to simply find the resources and political courage to make it happen, rather than waiting for it to happen. On Monday morning before the town hall, I asked retired Major General Paul Eaton, who was in charge of rebuilding the Iraqi Army and security forces in Iraq from 2003-2004, if he would chair a group to create a responsible exit plan for Iraq, and he agreed.

Let me repeat: we will be creating a plan to end the war and bring our troops home. It’s long past time.

People-powered politics is exactly what this country needs right now. The American people are the most innovative population in the world. We wield an enormous amount of influence and power globally. We are a nation of problem-solvers who have a set of enormous problems we have to solve. And it’s time we harnessed the talents of the entire community to solve them.

Your participation in democracy is what gives me hope.

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/29/123814/423

Now, THIS IS LEADERSHIP.


CONGRESS - DO YOUR JOB.

[understandinglife]

1. "The second revolutionary thing was the online town hall we hosted on Iraq that drew ...

... participants from all over the country, including many people from my district who would never have been able to make such an event in person. I had an amazing set of panelists (including McJoan moderating), we answered real questions submitted by real people, we had a substantive discussion of our policies and the realties on the ground, and started to look at where we can go from here. I think we created a model for how these can work, both on this issue and on others.

In particular, I was proud of the exchanges between Jon Soltz of VoteVets, retired Navy Captain Larry Seaquist (former commander of the U.S.S. Iowa), and Professor Clark Lombardi (a specialist in comparative law who just got back from Iraq) about some of the military and political realities. We’ll have the video of the town hall up on our website sometime next week, for those of you who would like to watch.

Link: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/29/123814/423

"We the People ..." are beginning to realize that the single most important person in American politics is each of us - i.e., YOU.

[understandinglife]

2. Darcy responds ...

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2007/8/29/123814/423/41#c41

Neat ...

[understandinglife]

3. YouTube video of General Eaton Announcing Darcy's Town Hall Meeting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvQU-O_uBDs&eurl=

Everyone, it is truly amazing that an unelected citizen is now driving an effort to create a withdrawl plan and has already succeeded in enlisting General Eaton to chair the endeavor.

Truly Amazing!!

[understandinglife]

4. AP: "Study: Withdrawal Possible Over a Year"

Study: Withdrawal Possible Over a Year

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 29, 2007

Filed at 5:15 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Most U.S. troops can be withdrawn safely from Iraq in roughly one year and the Bush administration should begin planning the pullout immediately, according to a study released Wednesday.

With the exception mostly of two brigades of about 8,000 troops who would remain in the touchy Kurdish region in the north for a year to guard against conflict with Turkey, the U.S. troops would be moved to Kuwait initially, says the study by the Center for American Progress, a self-described ''progressive think tank'' headed by John D. Podesta, a former chief of staff to former President Clinton.

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Link: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-US-Iraq-Pullout.html

Timely, given Darcy's and General Eaton's endeavor.