Rep. Dennis Kucinich Addresses Escalation in Afghanistan

[Joanne98]

Posted on Dec 1, 2009

Rep. Dennis Kucinich in an e-mail to supporters:

Tonight the President will announce an escalation of the war in Afghanistan. An additional 30,000 troops will bring the United States’ total in Afghanistan to 100,000. Tomorrow I will offer an analysis of the President’s plan.

The community I represent in Cleveland, Ohio, is suffering from massive unemployment, record home foreclosures, and small business failures. People are losing their jobs, their health care, their homes, their savings, their investments, and their retirement security. The middle class is gravely threatened. What is happening in Cleveland is occurring nationwide. Yet, Wall Street received over $13 trillion in bailouts, with untold millions for high salaries and bonuses, while Main Street loses its power through unemployment, reduced wages and benefits and little or no access to credit or investment capital. There is something fundamentally wrong with our economy which borrowing more money to spend on war cannot and will not cure. Perhaps nation building should begin at home.

An escalation of the war in Afghanistan at a time of such economic dislocation and hardship raises questions about America’s priorities and whether or not we are losing our way as we attempt to stride aside the globe as some Colossus. Tomorrow we will begin anew the discussion.

Thank you.
Dennis

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/rep_dennis_kucinich_addresses_escalation_in_afghanistan_20091201/

[Ikonoklast]

1. Dennis ought to know.

He helped the decline in Cleveland.

People left the city in droves when he was mayor.

[Ken Burch]

6. He defended the city from the what would have been the final tragedy

Privatization of the city electrical utility, which would have destroyed everything by making electricity unafforably expensive and left the city government with almost no revenue stream.

[Ikonoklast]

9. And the taxpayers were left to pay higher rates on city bonds

that were now junk status after the default.

Millions and millions more.

But, he was in L.A. by then.

[Ken Burch]

2. This is what this party should be standing for.

n/t.

[AndrewP]

3. Kucinich is right

[hayu_lol]

4. This guy always has something to say...

his jobless problem in Cleveland is helped greatly by his never going after Diebold.

Dennis talks a good game, but in 15 years in the House, he has only gotten ONE bill through the institution. He is simply not cost effective.

[Ken Burch]

7. So you would have supported one of his bland, right wing opponents in the last primary

Even though people you don't hear from in Congress aren't doing anything for their constituents.

[polichick]

5. He'll be on Big Ed's show tonight - msnbc, 6 pm eastern. nt

[Windy]

8. Dennis...it is unrealistic to be able to just pull our troops out

Further there really are geopolitical concerns with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Further, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are inextricably linked. It may do you and all members of DU who immediately criticize any troops in Afghanistan to do a bit of reading on the area instead of relying on soundbites, commentary without historical prospective and emotional knee jerk reaction. Going into Iraq was a monumental mistake made by Bush. Going into Afghanistan after 911 was not. We should have stayed there in the first place when we had the world behind us.

You also need to read the history of American involvment in Afghanistan and the US complicity in inflicting the Taliban on the Afghan people. Not to mention the FACT that the US created Bin Laden....

Nothing is black and white or simple!

And yes, I did serve in the military and so did my husband....

[mike_c]

10. Kucinich speaks the truth, as usual....

:thumbsup:

[malaise]

11. He's on Ed Shultz right now

Bravo Dennis.

[FrenchieCat]

12. Why did he fucking give Bush Authorization to go in there then?

Now, finally someone's gonna do something about it,
and like the Republicans (again), DK says, It's too expensive.

[Vidar]

13. Bravo Dennis!