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

[Robert Hammel]

Thank you for your no vote!

[Craig Rabinowitz]

You did the right thing. Now talk to Greg Palast, internationally noted journalist, who claims to have hard, material evidence directly linking Karl Rove to voter fraud on the basis of Monica Goodling's testimony this past week before Congress. It's time (actually long overdue) to begin to take these guys down, for crimes unparalleled in our nation's history.

[Woody]

Way to go Jerry! I knew you would do the right thing. I'll bet your sky-pilot son agrees!
You are doing great - I am proud to know you.
Now about that alternative energy thingy ...

[Emily Duffy]

Jerry,

I'm deeply grateful that you've remembered how we feel about this terrible war here at home. Keep up the good fight in DC and keep speaking out for the majority of America...end this war!

[Carole Petersen]

This is why I voted for you. I knew you have the integrity and guts to fight for a change. The govenment in general is so corrupt and self-indulging. I can't believe this administration defied everything that America stands for. Thank you for voting no. Thank you for your hard work and taking a stand. Thank you fighting for America and our troops. I am hoping the American public wakes up and pay attention to what is happening to this great country. I have to wonder.

[Daniel Tamm]

Thank you for voting "no" on a meaningless spending plan for Iraq occupation.
The reality is that if we were to do the right thing in Iraq, it would still be highly expensive. Only that spending would be devoted to reconstruction (along with other nations), reconciliation efforts between Sunni's and Shiites, regional diplomacy, re-building of societal infrastructure to bring back the Iraqi middle class professionals, fortifying the Iraqi military and helping to establish an acceptable international peacekeeping force to deal with unwanted al-queda elements, and the safe, orderly withdrawal of all American troops by the end of 2007.

I recommend that you and staff examine Rep. Lyn Woolsey's H.R. 508 which deals with all of the above.

All the best,

Daniel Tamm
CDP Executive Board
40th AD Representative

[John Little]

Thank you for voting your conscience and my heart.

[Wm Evans]

Thank you for your courage. The Congressional leadership should not have given in. Now we may have to wait until Jan 2009 to start bringing our forces home from a civil war.

[JoshA]

Congressman, thank you for your "no" vote. It takes a brave person to stand up and do what's right when he knows the result will be constant attacks by the rightwing pundits.

[Elaine Baldwin]

Thank you, Jerry, for your courageous vote, and I know that indeed you cast it with a heavy heart. It is so discouraging to see the President proceeding as though Nov. 2006 did not happen, but it's no surprise if Congress will not stand up to him. Please keep pressing for real benchmarks for the Iraqi government to achieve, a real timetable for deployment of our troops, and diplomatic efforts in line with the ISG recommendations. I also want to thank you for recently suggesting that the Livermore VA system focus on PTSD...such an important problem for many, many veterans.