From Jerry: "After the Iraq vote: A time for courage, vigilance and action"

This is a time for courage.

This morning, you woke up to the unfortunate news that a "compromise" bill was passed in Congress last night giving President Bush a blank check to continue waging the war in Iraq.

As you may know, this supplemental funding bill did not include:

1. Enforceable benchmarks.

2. A reasonable timetable for withdrawal.

3. Any requirement to initiate a diplomatic strategy to end this conflict (a primary recommendation of the Iraq Study Group).

4. Provisions to ensure that our soldiers are prepared, rested, and ready to wage this war as safely as possible until it is brought to an end.

Without these fundamentally important conditions, I could not vote for this bill. With a heavy heart, I voted "No" because I cannot, in good conscience, grant President Bush another blank check.

Beyond my insistence on the necessity for diplomacy and the proper care and protection for our troops and veterans, I have consistently called for real benchmarks and a reasonable redeployment timetable. This bill provided neither. That's why it was a blank check to the President.

This is a time for vigilance.

While you may be disappointed, as am I, in the failure of this legislation to hold President Bush accountable and move in a new direction in Iraq, I also believe now is the time to recommit ourselves to our community's resolve to end this conflict as soon as possible and as responsibly as possible.

We owe it to the men and women, the sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters, the fathers and mothers who are laying their lives on the line every day, halfway around the world.

Last night, by voting "No" on this historic bill, I exercised the solemn power you helped give me by electing me to Congress. Now, I want to encourage you to exercise your power to make a profound difference yet again.

This is a time for action.

On Memorial Day, I will be emailing you with a very important request -- a request that I know will have a deep impact on the very people who are willing to sacrifice their lives in service to our country.

Please open the email you receive from me on Memorial Day (or when you return from the holiday weekend) and, together, let's do something truly significant to contribute to the healing of our nation.

Thank you, again, for everything you continue to do.

P.S. If you would like to express your opinion on my vote against the Iraq supplemental funding bill, please post a comment on my blog. I really enjoy hearing your feedback, so please consider sharing your thoughts with me and our community by clicking this link. I will be sure to read your comments when I return to our district this weekend. 

Comments

[sfliberal]

Thank you Jerry for doing the right thing and voting NO on this Iraq funding bill. This war needs to come to an end. It is a waste of money and lives. Supporting the troops means bringing them home not funding this War more so they can continue being in harms way for Halliburton profits.

I'm very proud of you. If only there were more people in Congress like you.

[Ed]

I applaud your courage and consistency. I supported your election because you promised change. Making change happen is hard and requires perseverance in the face of difficulty. We must redirect our nation's efforts away from endless war and towards building a better society for all.

[Mike Keough]

Jerry, I spent an hour last night writing bitter notes to the Democrat leadership, asking them quite sincerely, to just quit. You did what we elected you to do. Sometimes you sound apologetic. Stop it. You are doing exactly what we voters want. Peace Brother and have a happy holiday.

[barbara]

i am very concerned that you voted gainst the mcgovern amendment and am worried that you, like too many other elected officials, will start choosing expediency over principle and moral courage.
more than a million iraqis have died as the result of what congress has allowed this nation to get away with. (i'm including the 500,000 or so who died during the embargo during the clinton years.) why isn't anyone in congress bothered by this?
why didn't the house simply refuse to vote on this latest outrage? we already have the money to bring the troops home. the vote was therefore not only a vote for more killing and slaughter but completely unnecessary.
i am beginning to worry that this congress isn't really concerned.

[Denise]

Jerry,

Thanks for doing what the American people want all of their senators and legislators to do.

We are in Iraq because they have oil and we want it. Simple as that. 9/11 and wmd were execuses this administration made to invade and now they look like they are going after Iran's oil as well. Please hold fast to your convictions and don't be bought as so many seem to have been.

We must look to alternative energy, conservation, and saving this planet.

As a supporter of our troops, I know I can support them best by bringing them back home.

[Ralph Britton]

Jerry,

I share your concern. I can't see that shutting off funding is going to work. Bush is stubborn and he listens to Rove & Chenney. But Gates and Petraeus show signs of intelligence and concern. Congress might be able to work through them to arrive at the least bad alternative in Iraq. And congress did deliver a message of displeasure, for what that is worth.

[Dale Geist]

You did the right thing. Our next fight must be against branding true patriots like you as being "unsupportive of the troops." It simply isn't so, and we need to fight that kind of McCarthyism with everything we can muster.

[David Fredericks]

You did the right thing by voting against this bill. Too bad more Democrats didn't have the backbone to do the same.

Supporting the troops is bringing them home.

[John Pietrzyk]

Jerry,

You did the courageous and right thing. But this courage still remains on the ground floor. Question: At what point can we transition this 'Democrat-based courage' to the next level: holding Bush and top administration officials legally responsible for initiating and fueling the mayhem now consuming Iraq and its people?

[Ruth Sherer]

Thank you for your vote against the Iraq bill. I wish I were in your district; I live in San Mateo and supported your fight against Pombo. Carry on the good fight! Ruth