March 24, 2009
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
As attorneys, leaders of grassroots organizations and individuals concerned with checks and balances under our Constitution, we express our concern with the constitutional status of the recent U.S.-Iraq agreement that seeks to control the use of American forces for the next three years.
On November 17, 2008, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and United States Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker signed the agreement, which was then approved by the Iraqi parliament in the following month.
In contrast, President Bush did not submit the agreement to the United States Congress for its approval. The Administration asserted that the agreement was merely a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) and that the president could commit the country on his unilateral authority.
This claim is untenable. Under applicable precedents, the agreement requires the approval of Congress. It goes far beyond the traditional limits of a SOFA. It commits the United States to spend hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq and to maintain a military presence in Iraq. All of these actions exceed the president’s constitutional powers and go far beyond the claims made by any previous president. Unless Congress acts, the new agreement threatens to establish a precedent that may allow future presidents to claim broad and unilateral authority to continue wars without obtaining the consent of Congress.
We urge you to make this a high priority for the 111th Congress. Working with the Obama Administration, the House and Senate should reject the Bush-Maliki agreement as unconstitutional, and legislate the withdrawal from Iraq.
Respectfully,
Elaine Brower, Member of Military Families Speak Out, and New York State coordinator of "Bring The Guard Home" Campaign
David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Presidential Candidate
CODE PINK: Women for Peace
Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association
Bob Fertik, President Democrats.com
Bill Fletcher, Jr., Executive Editor, BlackCommentator.com
Mike Hersh, Executive Director Montgomery County (MD) Progressive Alliance
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Ben Manski, Esq., Executive Director, Liberty Tree
Milwaukee Impeachment Committee
Citizens for Global Solutions - Milwaukee Chapter
The Network of Spiritual Progressives
William Crain, Peace and Justice Forums, Billings, Montana
Progressive Democrats of America
Tina Richards, CEO Grassroots America
Benson Scotch, legal counsel to "Bring the Guard Home" Campaign
David Swanson, Cofounder AfterDowningStreet.org
Virginia Anti-War Network
Sean Slattery Chapter of Veterans for Peace, Portland, OR
Wisconsin Impeachment / Bring Our Troops Home Coalition
Kevin Zeese, Voters for Peace
Pressure Pelosi
excellent succinct letter and endorsements copied and FAXED to Pelosi.
Thank you,
William Crain
Darwin26
Co-State Coordinator PDA Montana
National Impeachment Network, organizer
Peace and Justice Forums - Billings, MT co- producer
Montana Partners for Impeachment,coordinator
PDA IOT Fair Trade & Impeachment Teams
Veterans for Peace
thank
you
Excellent, David.
That is a most professional letter and should be listened to. Congress needs to take back their Constitutional power. Good show!
Pelosi-Bush's #1 Enabler In Congress
Bush's number one enabler #1 and protector in Congress was and still is none other than the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Fat chance she would dare to obstruct anything Bush favors. She's been financing Bush's occupation in Iraq and she's not about to change her colors. Nice try but a letter to Pelosi is like asking Vito Corleone's Consigliore to denounce his own Godfather, Link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seH9k2Gdhww It's not going to happen, not now, not ever.