DC
Marchers Challenge
Congress To End War
By John Nichols
30 January , 2007
The Nation
Actor Sean Penn summed up the
new energy -- and the new focus -- of the anti-war movement Saturday,
when he turned George Bush's own words against the president.
Just hours after the president
had again reasserted his false claim to authority to pursue a war that
is not wanted by the American people or the Congress, Penn told anti-war
demonstrators gathered in Washington that Bush would be wise to review
the Constitution.
"In a democracy,"
the actor told the cheering crowd, which organizers said numbered in
the hundreds of thousands, "we are the deciders."
Saturday's anti-war demostrations,
which filled the streets of cities from San Francisco to Washington,
marked a return to form for an anti-war movement that had trouble building
momentum during the three years that followed Bush's decision to launch
a preemptive war against a country that posed no serious threat to the
United States or its allies. During the period from 2OO3 to 2OO6, Bush's
Republican Party had complete control of the machinery of government,
and his allies were successful in assuring that Congress would not serve
as any kind of check or balance on the presidency.
Though polls showed that
most Americans thought Bush had been wrong to take the country to war,
and that they disapproved of his handling of the conflict, demonstrations
seemed fruitless because the president held all the cards. Many opponents
of the war poured their energies into electoral politics, hoping to
restore at least a measure of balance to the federal government by putting
opposition Democrats in charge of at least one house of Congress. On
November 7, the work paid off, with the election of Democratic majorities
in the House and Senate.
So it was that one of the
most popular signs at Saturday's rally in Washington read: "I Voted
for Peace."
An equally popular sign,
distributed by United for Peace and Justice, the group that played a
central role in organizing the demonstrations, read: "Congress:
Stand Up to Bush!"
Both signs were necessary
messages on Saturday because, while there is no question that Americans
voted November 7 for peace, there is still a great deal of uncertainty
about whether the Congress that was elected will, in fact, tell the
president that it is time to bring the troops home.
Some members of Congress
do get it. Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey, D-California,
addressed the Washington rally, urging activists to lobby the House
on behalf of comprehensive legislation she has sponsored to withdraw
Congressional approval for the war and implement a rapid yet orderly
withdrawal of U.S. soldiers and civilian contractors from Iraq. The
second most senior member of the House, Michigan Democrat John Conyers,
was there as well, telling the crowd that: "George Bush has a habit
of firing military leaders who tell him the Iraq war is failing,"
said Conyers, who then looked out at the crowd and shouted: "He
can't fire you."
"He can't fire us,"
added the House Judiciary Committee chair, referencing the Congress
that he said should block funding for Bush's plans to maintain his war.
"The founders of our country gave our Congress the power of the
purse because they envisioned a scenario exactly like we find ourselves
in today. Not only is it in our power, it is our obligation to stop
Bush."
While Bush and Vice President
Cheney continue to peddle the fantasy they have the power to wage war
as they choose, Congressman Dennis Kucinich corrected the latest lie
from the White House. "It is time for George Bush to understand
that Congress is a coequal branch of government," the Ohio Democrat
said. "Congress has the power to end this war."
Kucinich is right on both
counts. But he might have added a footnote: There are still a lot of
representatives and senators who do not fully accept the responsibility
that goes with being members of a coequal branch of government. Until
they are reminded of that fact by their constituents, a cautious approach
to Constitutionally-mandated duties will prevent Congress from ending
the war -- or even seriously curtailing it.
Sean Penn's message was,
indeed, the appropriate one: Those who marched on Saturday can and should
be the deciders in a democracy.
But in order to claim that
title from a dubiously-selected president, the people will have to do
more than march.
Only by delivering the message
that was on their signs -- "Congress: Stand Up to Bush!" --
directly to their elected representatives will the people convince House
and Senate majorities to act to end a war that should never have begun.
The lobbying starts Monday.
It should not stop until the troops are home -- and until those who
sent them into the quagmire are held fully to account.
While ending the war was
the first priority for those who marched in Washington, San Francisco
and dozens of other cities across the country Saturday, the demand for
accountability was high on the agenda.
"This past November
the American people sent a resounding signal to Washington, D.C., and
the world. We want change. We want this war to end. And how did Bush
respond? Twenty-one thousand, five hundred more will risk their lives
for his misguided war," declared actor Tim Robbins, as he addressed
the tens of thousands who had gathered on the National Mall. "Is
impeachment still off the table? Let's get him out of office."
The crowd roared, "Impeach
Bush! Impeach Bush. Impeach Bush!"
© Copyright 2007 The
Nation
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