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Friday, January 17, 2003

Here's something you can do right now!

Call your representative in the US House (800-839-5276, ask for rep by name) and urge him or her to
  1. co-sponsor H.Con.Res.2 which calls for the repeal of the war
    authorization act against Iraq, and
  2. sign the Brown-Kind Dear Colleague letter to the president asking him to commit to continued diplomacy when he makes his State of the Union address.


BACKGROUND: The introduction of H. Con. Res. 2 and the Brown-Kind letter reflect continued and growing congressional opposition to the Bush Administration's war plans in Iraq. Even members who voted for authorizing U.S. military action against Iraq are expressing deep concern about the Administration's impatience and lack of commitment to pursuing a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The U.S. public and the international community are expressing persistent opposition to war on Iraq, and weapons inspections
are proceeding without serious obstruction. Yet, the Administration continues to deploy tens of thousands more troops to the Persian Gulf, is intensifying attacks in the so-called no-fly zones, and claims the right to wage unilateral war whenever it deems necessary.

Pres. Bush is expected to use the State of the Union speech on Jan. 28 to announce the next phase of U.S. policy toward Iraq. The weeks leading up to the speech are a critical time for raising visible U.S. public opposition to war and pressing our members of Congress to take leadership roles in moving the country away from war. On Jan. 27 (one day before the State of the Union), the UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspections Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will make their first official report to the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the progress of inspections. Inspectors have said there is "no smoking gun" and that they will need more cooperation, information, and time to complete their work. U.S. allies in the European Union and the Middle East are still working diligently to open space for a peaceful settlement of the crisis. Saddam Hussein will have no reason to be cooperative if he thinks war is inevitable.