Monday, February 19, 2007

NYT: Democrats in State Capitols Push Antiwar Resolutions

“The end of this war has to start sometime and somewhere,” the president of the Iowa Senate, John P. Kibbie, a Democrat, said Thursday. “And stopping the expansion of these troops needs to happen now.”


February 16, 2007
New York Times: Democrats in State Capitols Push Antiwar Resolutions
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 — Frustrated by the inability of Democrats in Congress to pass a resolution opposing President Bush’s policies in Iraq, state legislators across the country, led by Democrats and under pressure from liberal advocacy groups, are pushing forward with their own resolutions.

Resolutions have passed in chambers of three legislatures, in California, Iowa and Vermont. The Maryland General Assembly sent a letter to its Congressional delegation, signed by a majority of the State Senate and close to a majority of the House, urging opposition to the increase in troops in Iraq.

Letters or resolutions are being drafted in at least 19 other states. The goal is to embarrass Congress into passing its own resolution and to provide cover for Democrats and Republicans looking for concrete evidence back home that anti-Iraq resolutions enjoy popular support.

“The end of this war has to start sometime and somewhere,” the president of the Iowa Senate, John P. Kibbie, a Democrat, said Thursday. “And stopping the expansion of these troops needs to happen now.” LINK

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Senate opposes escalation in Iraq

On Thursday, February 15, the Iowa Senate approved, on a voice vote, a resolution in opposition to President Bush's surge in Iraq. Iowa is the third state in the nation to pass such a resolution. Text of Senate Resolution 15 Text of Senate President Jack Kibbie's Prepared Remarks (MP3 of his remarks)


Senator Kibbie's opening statement

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