Greens: Impeach Bush
The following is a press release from the Green Party of the
United States.
"Now is not the time for bipartisan compromise and
retreat."
Green Party leaders appealed to Congress members today to
prevent the Bush Administration from launching military attacks and a possible
war on Iran.
"We urge Congress to take immediate steps against President Bush's obvious
plans for a war on Iran," said Jim Coplen, co-chair of the Green Party of
the United States. "Congress alone has the constitutional power to
block the White House from launching a military strike against Iran's nuclear
facilities, and Congress can also cut off military aid to Israel if Israel
initiates the military confrontation."
Greens warned that the White House has stepped up a propaganda campaign to
build public support for war against Iran, claiming that Iran is behind much of
the civil strife now taking place in Iraq and that Iran intends to use its
nuclear capability for military purposes, including production of nuclear
weapons for use against Israel and the West.
"The Bush Administration has claimed that intelligence proves Iran is
aiding attacks on Americans in Iraq, but has had to concede that such
intelligence is either weak or nonexistent," said Sarah 'Echo' Steiner,
co-chair of the Green Party. "President Bush and Vice President
Cheney are playing the same games they played in 2002 and 2003. We urge
Congress to pay close attention
to intelligence experts and Pentagon officials who are disputing White House
claims about Iran."
"Greens cite the administration's history of misinformation."
Greens challenged the media to question and investigate Bush Administration
accusations that Iran has engaged in acts of provocation against the U.S.,
citing the administration's history of misinformation, including the 2003 State
of the Union speech and other public communications that led up to the
beginning of the Iraq War.
Green Party leaders also noted that, while demanding that Iran halt its
development of nuclear power, the Bush Administration has promoted nuclear
power in other nations in the region, including India and Pakistan, and has
tolerated Israel's nuclear arsenal, and that continued construction of nuclear
weapons in the U.S. has encouraged nuclear proliferation around the
world. Greens have called for diplomacy and international cooperation
instead of sabre-rattling and military confrontation.
"We ask Congress not to sign away its constitutional war powers,"
said Nan Garrett, co-chair of the Green Party's National Women's Caucus and
co-chair of the Georgia Green Party. "The last time Congress did so,
in October, 2002, it handed President Bush a blank check to wage war on Iraq.
The result was a war based on fraudulent justifications, leading to a
civil war in Iraq, over 3,000 dead U.S. service members and hundreds of
thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, and no end in sight. War with Iran
will be an even greater disaster, leading to a likely regional or global
conflict. The President's plans have nothing to do with a 'war on terror'
and everything to do with a reckless strategy to assert U.S. control over the
region, access to oil resources, and collusion with a belligerent Israeli
government."
"The President's plans have nothing to do with a 'war on terror'
and everything to do with a reckless strategy to assert U.S. control over the
region."
The Green Party of the United States has already called for immediate
withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and a cutoff of military funding for the
war, and has endorsed impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney.
"Congress could quickly frustrate President Bush's plans for war on Iran
by beginning impeachment proceedings," said Justine McCabe, co-chair of
the Green Party's International Committee. "It's likely that
Republicans in Congress would block impeachment. But a public
presentation of evidence that the Bush Administration has committed high crimes
and misdemeanors, especially in its numerous deceptions about the reasons for
invading Iraq, will call into question the President's assertions about Iran. We're
telling Democrats, now is not the time for bipartisan compromise and
retreat."
The Green Party's national web site is http://www.gp.org/