A call to revoke Senate’s war authorization

From the beginning, the U.S. military attack on Iraq was a dangerous folly. The Bush administration misled the American people and, most importantly, Congress, with what Jimmy Carter described as “lies and misrepresentations.” When we enlist in the military we swear to “defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.” That is why we have to respond as citizens of our constitutional democracy to support Sens. Clinton and Byrds’ effort to deauthorize the resolution that handed the presumed authority of Bush to invade Iraq.

Sen. Byrd made it clear during the debate on the original resolution that it was unconstitutional, and it should be sent back to the president telling him so. As the Constitution clearly states: only Congress shall have the power to declare war.

We are reminded of another Senate resolution based on administration falsehoods. President Johnson claimed that the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave him the authority to send 500,000 American troops to Vietnam and kill over a million Vietnamese. Now the Bush administration is responsible for over 350,000 Iraqi citizens killed.

We urge our senators to live up to their obligations to the Constitution and vote to deauthorize and make null and void the original resolution by which we were all deceived by the Bush administration to go to war. Nor can the Senate avoid its duty to the Constitution in the future by hiding behind presidential resolutions, phony or not.

Support our troops, bring them home now — alive!