Richardson: "Congress Authorized This War, They Should Deauthorize It Under War Powers Act"

[bigtree]

For diplomat, war is no answer

U.S. troops must leave Iraq, Richardson says



April 05. 2007 8:00AM

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson called on Congress yesterday to "de-authorize" the Iraq war and remove all American troops from that country before the end of the year, staking out a strong anti-war position in a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates.

"The Congress authorized this war several years ago," Richardson said at a campaign stop in Manchester yesterday. "The Congress should now de-authorize the war under the War Powers Act."

Richardson said he would leave no American soldiers in Iraq, bringing most home and sending some to Afghanistan to quell unrest there. He said he expected President Bush and congressional Republicans to oppose a "de-authorization" of the war and assumed that the fight would end up in the Supreme Court.

True to his background as a former United Nations ambassador and international dealmaker, Richardson said he would replace the current military approach with an aggressive diplomatic solution. He said America should convene a meeting with leaders from Iran, Syria, Egypt, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries to encourage them to send their own troops to help steady Iraq's government. He offered no details about how he would persuade those countries to send their military and money to Iraq as America was withdrawing, but he said he had faith in the power of diplomacy.

"I'm a diplomat," Richardson said in a brief interview. "If I'm president, I would personally handle this."

more: http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070405/REPOSITORY/704050332


http://journals.democraticunderground.com/bigtree

[Deep13]

1. They should have added a sunset provision...

...to be renewed if justified.

The authorization is probably pretty flexible, but I wonder if its exact language caused the authority to expire when the war became an occupation.

[still_one]

2. He's right. It is so obvious

Saw Wes Clark last night and one of the major points he made is that this administration does not want to talk to anyone they do not agree with, and the only way Iraq will be solved is by the Iraqis, NOT some forced American plan

[Captain Hilts]

3. Go Bill! nt

[trotsky]

4. As much as some of those proposed countries enjoy seeing us struggle in Iraq...

they would probably prefer that we not build ourselves a nice little foothold in their region. Richardson is right - a little diplomacy would go a LONG way toward getting our troops out and ending the violence, period.

[bigtree]

6. Bill Richardson on Iraq: "We should get out lock, stock and barrel."

from Blog for America: http://www.blogforamerica.com/view/20307

That is just one of Governor Bill Richardson's responses to DFA members who wrote comments in our Presidential Primary Petition on Iraq. We asked each of the candidates to oppose any escalation of the Iraq War, demand a swift end to the occupation, and propose a plan that brings our brave men and women home.

The Governor believes "we need to get out of Iraq this calendar year." He supports diplomacy that brings "a reconciliation of the three religious groups into a coalition government" and "surrounding powers in the region to deal with future security." What he doesn't support is leaving a residual force in Iraq. "We should get out lock, stock and barrel."

video: http://www.dfalink.com/richardson.php


Bill Richardson: end the war THIS year.

from Deep13: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=3190992


from a video Gov. Richardson did for Democracy For America (Howard Dean's group)

http://www.dfalink.com/richardson.php

[hang a left]

18. THEY NEED THEIR OIL BACK!!

Divide the country into three states, each with their own centralized government, and sharing their oil revenue equally amongst the citizens.

Then pull all of our troops out by the end of the year.

THAT is the only solution!

[ms liberty]

5. K&R - I like this man...n/t

[SteveM]

13. And he has the best 2A position of any Dem candidate (nt)

[LSparkle]

7. GOOD FOR HIM! I've been thinking that all along ...

If it's Congress' role to declare, then they can UNDECLARE too.

[Iwasthere]

8. Well, get to it

Deauthorize now! new mantra?

[in_cog_ni_to]

9. I agree! I hope Congress does do that. Can you imagine the repuke exploding heads?

I can...:7

[madokie]

10. war is an admission of failure

[MonkeyFunk]

11. more than that

they need to repeal the War Powers Act.

Congress NEEDS to reclaim their constitutional responsibility for the declaration of war.

[TwilightGardener]

12. They already tried this in the Senate (Biden), and it was a non-starter--

would never pass.

[bigtree]

15. as president, he would carry this as a mandate from voters to our Democratic Congress

[ProgressiveFool]

14. Right on Bill!

He just went to #2 candidate for me. I hope this gets some traction, since it could start a round of war-denouncing amongst the Democratic (and maybe even Rebuplicans ) that will lead to... I dunno, something.

[mmonk]

16. You go Bill! That's how I view it too.

Congress is the branch that can declare war. Congress is a branch that can end it.

[wiggs]

17. The conditions of the IWR were NEVER MET, according to John Dean

The weakest most pathetic of letters was given to congress shortly before the war began, stating that IWR conditions had been met...that there was connection to 9/11 and there were WMD that posed imminent threat. IIRC, there was also something about war being the last resort as well.

Since these were never fullfilled, Bush's actions were in fact NOT AUTHORIZED. I don't know why more attention isn't paid to this. This alone should be grounds for impeachment. What mistake or deception could be worse than lying your way to a disastrous, deadly war? Richardson should dredge up the letter...he's in good position to do so since he was not part of the group that let it get by.

More in Dean's Worse than Watergate.