IVAW has been working to hold a face-to-face meeting with now President-elect and members of his staff. Our hard work has paid off! We’ve recently been contacted by a member of President-elect Obama’s veteran staff and will be meeting with representatives of both his Veteran and Foreign Affairs Committees this month. This is a huge opportunity for IVAW to assert our voice and perspective at a new level and to continue to demand accountability for ending the occupation.
So I'm guessing that the IVAW will be presenting their three demands - immediate withdrawal from Iraq (before we win despite their best efforts), fully funded veteran services (one out of three) and full reparations to the Iraqi people (with what money?). I wonder when the Obama staff will meet with the grown ups.
Dougherty continues;
We have been witness to the horror and violence of war and we are determined to give Americans a real eyewitness account of the occupations.
We? Got a combat veteran mouse in your pocket, Kel? Doughtery's testimony at Winter Soldier was confined to a single incident that involved KBR employees firing bean bags at Iraqi civilians to control the situation at the scene of an automobile accident. Oh, the horror. You know that's the worst incident she witnessed because if she had more she'd have used other stories instead.
Dougherty is also the person who told the House Progressive Caucus that they didn't need to swear in any of the witnesses who testified to the committee because IVAW had already verified their testimony. I wonder if any of the banking CEOs who testified to Congress this morning got the same consideration.
Thanks to my busy little mole for the tip.
6 comments:
When he was running to be everyone's president, Barack Obama wouldn't meet with General Petreaus while the general was commanding our efforts in Iraq.
that's not true, john. obama DID meet with petreaus during the campaign. (from www.telegraph.co.uk)
He flew on to Baghdad and the US military headquarters at Camp Victory, a maze of artificial lakes and luxury villas that served as Saddam Hussein's Summer Palace, before meetings with Mr Malki and General David Petraeus, the US military commander in Iraq.
complete with pictures of their helicopter flight... check it out.
He didn't meet with Petraeus until it became politically expedient;
http://tinyurl.com/5gt9ny
of course. not when it was apparent that he was going to be the next cic?
but that isn't what you said, john. i was just correcting your statement. he DID meet with petraeus during the campaign.
Cath Catz,
Get with the program! This week's meme is that Petraeus is a bad man who is going to quit his job to be the next Rove. Why are you defending him?!?
He didn't meet with Petreus until it was politically expedient, and he didn't arrange to have his staff meet with us until it was politically expedient. If I had a dollar for how many meetings with Obama fell through /before/ the election, I'd be able to buy myself a beer. In Euro.
I'm glad Obama won, but he's pretty big on political expediency.
not defending anyone, really, lt. just keeping john l. honest.
you already know what i'm no fan of this war in iraq, so i certainly can't take a position on whether or not petreaus is doing a good job. but i can say that i'm certain that president elect obama takes his counsel deadly serious.
my opinion is that obama would be better at listening to the men in charge of the this whole mess than bush/cheney ever were.
Post a Comment