Senators Signing Letter to the President Asking Early Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Mar 08, 2012
Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) have circulated a letter to his colleagues stating: “We write to express our support of a transition of U.S. forces in Afghanistan from a combat role to a training, advising and assistance role next year.”
24 Senators signed the letter, including two Republicans:
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-WI)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)
87 House Members Commend Early Combat Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Feb 17, 2012
Washington, D.C. . . . Eighty seven Members of Congress, including nine Republicans, sent a letter today to President Obama praising the administration’s decision to bring home all combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2013.
On February 1, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the United States will end its combat missions in Afghanistan by “mid- to the latter part of 2013.”
This step was pressed for in amendments offered last year in the Senate by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and in the House by Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC).
This bi-partisan group of 87, at a time of few bi-partisan assemblages, wrote: “We write to express our support for the Administration’s announcement on February 1st that the United States will complete combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of next year.”
Afghanistan: The Pace of Withdrawals Accelerates; House Letter Supporting That Action
Feb 16, 2012
On February 1, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta announced that the United States will end its combat missions in Afghanistan by “mid- to the latter part of 2013.”
This announcement – whether intended by the Obama Administration at this time is not clear – marks a welcome and accelerated withdrawal timetable. Previously, combat operations were supposed to end in 2014.
The New York Times called the pronouncement “a major milestone toward ending a decade of war in Afghanistan.”
The sooner American military forces exit from Afghanistan – after spending so many lives and treasure – the better.
This step was pressed for in amendments offered last year in the Senate by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and in the House by Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Walter Jones (R-NC).
Anatomy of a Surprise Win: Senate Urges Accelerated Troops Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Dec 08, 2011
On November 30, 2011, Sen Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stood on the Senate floor to speak on behalf of an amendment he and other Senators had offered to require the President to develop a plan for an expedited withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
After his speech, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) bitingly criticized the amendment as “another accelerated plan [that] would obviously have the result of even greater risk to the men and women in the military.”
A few moments after railing against the provision, McCain called for a voice vote, and it was approved. It was a stunning and unexpected victory for critics of the war in Afghanistan.
Five months earlier, 27 Senators signed a letter circulated by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) urging President Obama to order a “sizable and sustained” withdrawal of troops.
The effort demonstrated that a significant bloc of Senators wanted to see the American military effort in Afghanistan wind down.
Senate votes for Merkley amendment on accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan
Nov 30, 2011
Council for a Livable World Welcomes Senate Vote In Favor of An Accelerated Withdrawal of U.S.Troops from Afghanistan
Washington, D.C. .. Council for a Livable World applauded the Senate vote today in favor of the Merkley amendment asking the President to accelerate the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.
The Senate approved the amendment by a voice vote in a surprising rebuke to those who want to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely – including Senator John McCain (R-AZ).
Clearly Senator McCain, who opposed the amendment, did not call for a roll call vote because he was not sure he could win.
John Isaacs, Executive Director of Council for a Livable World, said: “There is a rising tide in United States Senate and around the country to end U.S. combat in Afghanistan.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley offers successful out-of-Afghanistan amendment
Nov 29, 2011
The following Senators signed onto at least one version of the amendment as of Nov. 30
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
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Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sen. Bernard Sanders (D-VT)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
When Sen. Merkley offered the amendment on November 30, he moved new language, amendment No. 1257, as follows:
On page 484, strike line 22 through 24 and insert the following:
(c) TRANSITION PLAN.—The President shall devise a plan based on inputs from military commanders, NATO and Coalition allies, the diplomatic missions in the region, and appropriate members of the Cabinet, along with the consultation of Congress, for expediting the drawdown of United States combat troops in Afghanistan and accelerating the transfer of security authority to Afghan authorities.
(d) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The President shall include the most current set of benchmarks established pursuant to subsection (b) and the plan pursuant to subsection (c) with each report on progress
A Tribute to Senator Mark Hatfield by John Isaacs
Aug 10, 2011
Senators Edward Kennedy & Mark Hatfield, Rep. Ed Markey
A young Mark Hatfield, a naval officer who commanded landing craft in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II, entered Hiroshima shortly after the city had been incinerated by an atomic bomb. As he recalled it:
“When I entered Hiroshima, the charred bodies were still being pulled out of the rubble. The horror that I experience burned a lasting impression in my conscience. To this day, it serves as a philosophical anchor – my beacon of clarity in a political arena that turns a deaf ear to those who do not speak the exotic language of megatons, kill probability ratios and other terms that desensitize us to the true nature of nuclear war.”
This experience led to Senator Mark Hatfield’s long opposition to war and to the nuclear arms race. He was a man of conscience, and possessed a sense of right and wrong which overrode party loyalty.
Essay: The End of Interventionism
Aug 08, 2011
Written by John Isaacs, appears in ADA Today:
United States involvement in the Libyan war may turn out to be the straw that broke the political and philosophical back of the military interventionists.
Most of the country having long turned against George W. Bush’s war of choice in Iraq, President Obama has been continuing the process of withdrawal from that (at least tenuously) pacified country. Disaffection with the Iraq war hurt the Republicans at the polls in 2006 and 2008.
As for the Afghan war, many on the left and right were willing to reserve judgment on President Obama’s actions early in his administration because he had inherited a weak position from his predecessor. Besides, Afghanistan—in contrast to Iraq—was the “good” war, one directly related to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
But the effort to oust long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi means the United States is engaged in three military conflicts at the same time, to say nothing of predator drone strikes in other countries. While liberals are split on the Libyan conflict, the expanding wars are widely perceived to be military interventionism run amuck.
Sens. Merkley, Udall, Lee: Let’s Not Linger in Afghanistan
Jul 05, 2011
Kudoos to three Senators for keeping the pressure on President Obama to draw down all troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2012, and not waiting until 2014.
New York Times OpEd, July 4, 2011 - By Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Tom Udall (D-NM)
LAST month President Obama announced plans for withdrawing by next summer the approximately 30,000 American troops sent to Afghanistan as part of the 2009 surge.
We commend the president for sticking to the July date he had outlined for beginning the withdrawal. However, his plan would not remove all regular combat troops until 2014. We believe the United States is capable of achieving this goal by the end of 2012. America would be more secure and stronger economically if we recognized that we have largely achieved our objectives in Afghanistan and moved aggressively to bring our troops and tax dollars home.
After Al Qaeda attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, we rightly sought to bring to justice those who attacked us, to eliminate Al Qaeda’s safe havens and training camps in Afghanistan, and to remove the terrorist-allied Taliban government. With hard work and sacrifice, our troops, intelligence personnel and diplomatic corps have skillfully achieved these objectives, culminating in the death of Osama bin Laden.
2 more Senators speak out: Widespread Demand for Significant Afghan Troop Withdrawal
Jun 22, 2011
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV): "I believe it is time for President Obama to begin a substantial and responsible reduction in our military presence in Afghanistan. I believe it is time for us to rebuild America, not Afghanistan. That is why I strongly agreed with Senators Merkley and Lee, and the words of 27 of my Republican and Democratic colleagues."
Congressional Record, June 21, 2011
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA): "It is time for the United States to lighten its footprint in the country. It is also a time to accelerate the shift in responsibility to Afghan forces and for a drawdown of a significant number of United States troops from Afghanistan."
Congressional Record, June 21, 2011June 21, 2011
