Kucinich: Defeat the Authorization for the War

Constitution Must Not be a Doormat, Congress Must not Be a Rubber Stamp

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 24, 2011) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), who has led bipartisan opposition to the war in Libya, today addressed the House, urging his colleagues to take a two-step approach to ending the U.S. involvement in the war in Libya.

Congressman Kucinich will also be sending messages encouraging his colleagues to end the war with two votes. Step 1; Vote YES for H.R. 2278, which ends U.S. direct hostilities immediately, and Step 2; Vote YES for the Kucinich-Amash resolution to the FY 2012 Department of Defense Appropriations bill to end all involvement in the war by October 1, 2011.

The full text of Congressman Kucinich’s address follows:

“We have been in Afghanistan for ten years at a cost of over a half trillion dollars, in Iraq for eight years at a long term cost of at least three trillion.

“Those who told us the war in Libya would last days, now want to extend it for another year at total cost of billions.

“It is surreal we could even be considering authorizing this war at a time when the government is collapsing in debt.

“Those who told us the war in Libya was to save civilians’ lives quickly switched to regime change with innocent civilians dying from NATO’s bombs.

“Prior to NATO assuming responsibility, we launched hundreds of cruise missiles and dropped tons of bombs on Libya. Since NATO took over, the U.S. has struck from the air at least 90 times, including drone attacks. But these are not hostilities, claims the White House, so what business is it of Congress?

“We must put an end not only to the war in Libya, but we must put an end to the thinking that the Constitution is a doormat and that our constituents must simply bear the consequences of the misguided policies of this Administration without this Congress having any say whatsoever.

“Defeat the authorization for the war. Vote for the Rooney bill which limits the war and when we return let’s vote for a total cutoff of funds for this wrongheaded adventure.”