Wisdom from an Arizona Congressman

[Bobbieo]

Dear Ms. -------

Thank you for taking the time to communicate with me regarding the War in Iraq , I appreciate hearing from you.

I share your concerns over the catastrophic level of destruction and misery this ill-conceived war has brought to the people of Iraq and the staggering historical costs to our great nation.

The people spoke quite clearly in November of 2006 and said that they want an end to this war. To be more precise, they said no to this president's agenda of War Without End .

Unfortunately, this president has made it clear he will never listen to the will of the people on this issue, even as he claims to be willing to expend US blood and treasure for the cause of democracy.

At the same time, I believe some of my colleagues in the new majority have failed to appreciate the depth of feeling among the people and the urgency with which they expect this Congress to act.

I feel it is clear by now that we face the same situation as at the end of the Vietnam War, when it was clear that "victory," in the war was not possible. Y et the politicians continued sending our soldiers to fight and kill and die because they feared the consequences of admitting the obvious. More than half the American combat deaths in Vietnam occurred after we had already passed this point; this is one of the most shameful episodes in American history.

Every day that goes by without an end to US involvement in the Iraqi civil war precipitated by our invasion, we come closer to repeating the moral tragedy of Vietnam.

Admitting their grave errors may be painful for this president and others who supported this War. Regardless, t hat political inconvenience is morally insignificant compared to the lives of our soldiers and the future peace and security of this great nation.

I remain hopeful that if the people continue to lead on this issue, then one day soon the politicians will have no choice but to follow. I look forward to raising my voice and working with you to bring this day closer.

Sincerely,
Raul M. Grijalva
Member of Congress

[AZBlue]

1. That's fantastic! Thanks for sharing this.

K&R

[Mythsaje]

2. Wow...that's awesome.

K&R