Ex-Maine Lawmaker Plans Anti-War Offensive

[marmar]

Published on Thursday, December 28, 2006 by the Portland Press Herald (Maine)
Ex-Maine Lawmaker Plans Anti-War Offensive
by Bart Jansen

WASHINGTON - Tom Andrews, the former Maine congressman who used his position as national director of Win Without War to argue against invading Iraq, is now urging the Democratically controlled Congress to bring the troops home.

"The disaster in Iraq is the result of the lethal combination of arrogance, ignorance and incompetence of the administration," said Andrews, who served on the House Armed Services Committee during his two terms representing the state's 1st Congressional District. "It is dangerous and short-sighted to keep our troops in the crossfire."

Andrews, 53, spent years organizing opposition to the war through Win Without War, a coalition of about 40 groups ranging from Families USA to the Sierra Club to Veterans for Peace. The Nov. 7 election results created a climate for change, he said, and his coalition plans a major lobbying effort in Congress next month.

"The election was clearly about Iraq," he said. "Voters were demanding change."

Andrews questioned whether Bush would listen to the Iraq Study Group. The bipartisan group, headed by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton of Indiana, recommended beginning to withdraw troops by 2008 and opening discussions with other countries in the region, including Iran and Syria.

Bush has resisted talks with Iran and Syria and acknowledged that he is considering whether to send more troops to Iraq. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has proposed adding 15,000 to 30,000 troops to the 140,000 already stationed there. ........(more)

The rest of the article is at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/1228-01.htm

[BeFree]

1. Sarcasmic episode

The problem with America is we have too many real Christians. If everybody was a fake Christian, then there would be no anti-war offensives. We could just get on with war. As it is we have to deal with them damned peace loving true Christians.

[The2ndWheel]

2. "Anti-War Offensive"

Clever, but not clever enough.