[Vision2020] Call Congress to Fire Rumsfeld

[Tom Hansen]

Greetings Visionaires -

>From MoveOn.org:

In the weeks since the world first saw the horrible photos from Abu
Ghraib, Donald Rumsfeld and the rest of the Pentagon's senior
leadership has come before Congress to "accept responsibility" for the
scandal.  But President Bush has a strange idea of accountability -
instead of asking for Rumsfeld's resignation, he's praised him for
doing a "superb job".

Your Congresspeople are home from Washington this week, and it's a
great chance to let them know whether you agree with President Bush's
opinion of Secretary Rumsfeld's job performance.

Call your Representative and Senators today, and tell them to demand
that President Bush fire Donald Rumsfeld.

  Senator Larry Craig
  Idaho Falls, ID: 208-342-7985

  Senator Michael D. Crapo
  Twin Falls, ID: 208-334-1776

  Congressman C. L. Otter
  Coeur D'Alene, ID: 208-336-9831

Please let us know you're calling, at:

http://www.moveon.org/callrumsfeld.html?id=2886-1614596-tokGm.2_C.nO8JJ66ygt
WA

Americans have long believed that there should be consequences when
leaders make bad decisions.  Secretary Rumsfeld's decisions about the
invasion and its aftermath led to the crisis that we face today.

General Anthony Zinni, former commander-in-chief of the United States
Central Command and Bush administration special envoy to the Middle
East said,

   "I blame the civilian leadership of the Pentagon directly.
   Because if they were given the responsibility, and if this was their
   war, and by everything that I understand, they promoted it and
   pushed it - certain elements in there certainly - even to the point
   of creating their own intelligence to match their needs, then they
   should bear the responsibility."

   "But regardless of whose responsibility I think it is, somebody has
   screwed up. And at this level and at this stage, it should be evident
   to everybody that they've screwed up. And whose heads are rolling on
   this?"

   "Look, there is one statement that bothers me more than anything else.
   And that's the idea that when the troops are in combat, everybody
   has to shut up. Imagine if we put troops in combat with a faulty
   rifle, and that rifle was malfunctioning, and troops were dying as a
   result"

   "I can't think anyone would allow that to happen, that would not
   speak up. Well, what's the difference between a faulty plan and
   strategy that's getting just as many troops killed?"[1]

President Bush didn't offer any significant new ideas in last night's
speech -- in essence, he's planning to stay the course.  According to
General Zinni, "The course is headed over Niagara Falls...I think it's
time to change course a little bit or at least hold somebody
responsible for putting you on this course." [2]

President Bush showed us again that he isn't willing to own up to the
mistakes of his administration and hold people accountable.  If he
won't, it's up to us and our elected representatives to do so.

Thanks for making these calls today.

- Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes
  The MoveOn.org team
  Tuesday, May 25th, 2004

[1] CBS News - http://www.moveon.org/r?507
[2] Washington post - http://www.moveon.org/r?508

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
-Robin Williams