MoveOn On War: "This Is Wrong"

Nowhere will President Obama's military escalation prove less popular than with a segment of his base. Case in point: MoveOn.org, successful in pressuring Congressional Democrats to toughen up in 2006, is apoplectic. "This is wrong," writes MoveOn's senior leadership team. "And it won't make us safer."  The full e-mail is after the jump.

From: Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action 
Sent: Tuesday, December 01, 2009 12:11 PM
To: 
Subject:  This is wrong

Dear MoveOn member,

President Obama has ordered about 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan--a military escalation of the war there.¹

After talking to MoveOn members about this possibility for months, it's become clear what most of us think: This is wrong. Everyone knows that George W. Bush left a mess in Afghanistan, but escalation only deepens our involvement in a quagmire.

It'll cost the lives of thousands of American troops and Afghan civilians, and it won't make us safer. And with urgent priorities like health care, the climate crisis, and a struggling economy to tackle here at home, it simply does not make sense to divert billions more dollars to this war.

More and more foreign policy experts are coming to the conclusion that military escalation is not going to solve the problem in Afghanistan.² And the majority of Americans already oppose the war.³ So today the President needs to hear from those of us who disagree with his decision.

Today, can you call the White House and tell the President that we want him to focus on bringing our troops home, not escalating our involvement in Afghanistan?

The White House 
202-456-1111

Then, let us know you've called by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?cp_id=1193&tg=638&id=&t=1

Thanks for all you do.

-Daniel, Stephen, Kat, Lenore, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Obama Sets Faster Troop Deployment to Afghanistan," The New York Times, December 1, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85329&id=&t=2

2. "Realists warn on Afghan war," Politico, September 15, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85330&id=&t=3\

"A Tragic Mistake," The New York Times, December 1, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85331&id=&t=4

"Robert Baer: What We're Up Against In Afghanistan Is A 'War Of National Resistance'," The Huffington Post, November 24, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85332&id=&t=5

"How to Save Afghanistan," Time, July 17, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85333&id=&t=6

3. "Obama faces uphill battle in selling Afghan war strategy," The Washington Post, November 16, 2009 
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=85334&id=&t=7

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