Leader Reid confesses Levin-Reed Amendment leaves troops in Iraq
indefinitely.
I attended the MoveOn.org rally on Tuesday night where Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid discussed
how they were going to "end the war" and "bring our troops home" with the Levin-Reed Amendment.
When I asked if they meant all the troops, I was quickly told to, "shut up" and muscled aside by
security. A fellow Marine Mom was treated in much the same manner and we couldn't get over how
much like the Republicans the "Anti-Escalation" folks were acting.
I thought maybe I missed something in the Amendment and should reread it to ensure I did not miss
anything. Yet an in-depth analysis of the Amendment is not needed in order to find the
contradictions. A quick glance paired with recent statements made by Senator Reid prove that it
holds no ambitions of easing the minds of military families and moms who want to know, "how do you
choose which of our sons and daughters to abandon in Iraq?"
The Amendment provides for our troops to come home, except for the following three reasons:
(1) Protect United States and Coalition personnel and infrastructure,
(2) provide logistical support for Iraqi security forces and to
(3) engage in counter-terrorism operations against international terrorism groups and their local
affiliates.
I had an opportunity to ask Leader Reid about how many troops will be abandoned in Iraq. He bluntly
stated, "we haven't spoken to the military yet, at that this stage we don't know". We don't know?
They have pushed and prodded for this Amendment and they don't know? If members of congress
do not have any idea how large of a future force this amendment calls for, then how can we as
military families possibly support it? Senator Reid has admitted that this proposed "pull-out plan"
does nothing yet leave the decision up to the military leadership, who take their direction from
President Bush.
It must be made clear to the public that the Reed Amendment does not call for a specific withdrawal
from Iraq nor does it seek to revamp the American mission in the region. Representatives such as
Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi who proudly boast of being men and women of peace; disgrace
not only their own selves, yet also the millions of true warriors of peace in this country, when they
back a plan that will leave America's future in Iraq to military generals. The Levin-Reed Amendment
is nothing more than a political stunt that calls for, at best, a smaller war, not an end to the
occupation which the American public and the world yearns to see.
Under the Amendment, our sons and daughters will be abandoned with no way home. Maybe if it
wasn't our sons and daughters being abandoned we could join in with MoveOn and American's
Against Escalation and be thankful the Democrats want some of them home. Next time you say,
"support the troops," try to include all the troops..
Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi and all of the other Democratic leadership; we plead you to push
forward legislation that will bring "all" our sons and daughters home from this occupation. We cannot
support an amendment that provides for leaving stranded an "unknown" amount of our troops. Until
that time, the peace movement will continue to speak out against these cruel promises of withdrawing
our troops. We will also continue to struggle against MoveOn.org and other such groups that blindly
fall in line with the Democratic Party and their anti-escalation, not-anti-war, agenda.
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