After Downing Street Co-Founders

JOHN C. BONIFAZ is a Boston-based attorney specializing in constitutional law, Mr. Bonifaz served as lead counsel for a coalition of US soldiers, parents of US soldiers, and Members of Congress in John Doe I v. President Bush, a constitutional challenge to President Bush’s authority to wage war against Iraq absent a congressional declaration of war or equivalent action. Mr. Bonifaz is also the founder of the National Voting Rights Institute, recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, and a 1992 cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School. His March 22, 2005 memo urging Rep. John Conyers to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry on Iraq is available here; his testimony at the June 16, 2005 hearings convened by Rep. Conyers can be found here. Bonifaz is a national advisory board member of Progressive Democrats of America, and a candidate in 2006 for Secretary of State of Massachusetts.

STEVE COBBLE is a 30 year veteran of progressive politics, he has served as political director for the National Rainbow Coalition, speechwriter for Jesse Jackson, strategist for the Kucinich presidential campaign and Executive Director of the Arca Foundation. Cobble is a policy advisor to Progressive Democrats of America.

BOB FERTIK is a life-long progressive and Democratic Party activist, as well as a blogger, journalist, author, systems analyst, candidate, political consultant, and entrepreneur. He has been profiled in the New York Times, Newsday, and the New York Sun.Fertik is a recognized leader in feminist politics. He is the co-founder of the Pro-choice Resource Center, Eleanor's List, Political Woman Newsletter, Women Leaders Online, and the Women's Voting Guide. He serves on the board of the Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion and co-author (with WCLA's Polly Rothstein) of "Pro-choice Power." He graduated from Yale College with a B.A. in Economics in 1979, and lives with his family in New York City.Fertik debated Al Gore's victory in Election 2000 and popular opposition to the Iraq War with Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor on 9/25/02 and left O'Reilly fuming for days. Fertik publicly challenged O'Reilly, Roger Ailes, and the rest of the Fox News cast to a debate on 4/16/02 but no one at Fox has the guts to take him on.Fertik co-founded Democrats.com with David Lytel in January 2000. Lytel left Democrats.com at the end of 2002 to launch ReDefeatBush.com.

TIM CARPENTER is National Director of Progressive Democrats of America. He is a social and political activist who, for more than 30 years, has worked for causes such as nuclear disarmament, peace and justice, abolishing the death penalty, defending the homeless, and fighting for clean elections and campaign finance reform. Tim established Housing Now! and Democrats for Peace Conversion (DPC), co-founded the Orange County chapter of the Alliance for Survival (AFS), and helped organize the Orange County chapter of Families Against Three Strikes (FACTS). Tim was a national delegate and served in key positions in the presidential campaigns of Jesse Jackson (1988), Jerry Brown (1992), and Bill Clinton (1996) and spoke from the podium at the Democratic National Convention in New York City in 1992. Tim was director of the Western Massachusetts Clean Elections movement for the public funding of political campaigns. He also served as a field organizer for Clean Elections' Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Warren Tolman. Tim also served as Deputy National Campaign Manager for the Kucinich for President Campaign, was the campaign's state co-coordinator in Massachusetts, and the campaign's Convention Coordinator in Boston. Tim was a co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org. He has taught U.S. history and government at both the high school and community college levels. Tim is a product of the California State College system where he graduated from Cal State University Fullerton with Bachelors Degrees in History and Political Science as well as a Masters Degree in History.

DAVID SWANSON is the creator of ImpeachCheney.org, the Washington Director of Democrats.com and co-founder of the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition, a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, of the Backbone Campaign, and of Voters for Peace. He serves on a working group of United for Peace and Justice. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including Press Secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign. His website is www.davidswanson.org. In April and May 2007, Swanson consulted part-time for Kucinich for President 2008.