Sponsored by: Tanya Shively, LoErna Simpson Approved: 12/01/2007
A RESOLUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON
A RESOLUTION OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON TO END IRAQ OCCUPATION IMMEDIATELY WHILE IMPLEMENTING A COMPREHENSIVE EXIT STRATEGY
WHEREAS, the Democratic Party of Oregon’s Legislative Action Items for Foreign Policy and National Security states: “Bring US troops home from Iraq within six to twelve months; renounce US interest in permanent US military bases in Iraq; schedule a prompt and orderly withdrawal of US troops from combat positions; accelerate reconstruction spending and grant most reconstruction contracts to local companies employing Iraqis; reduce the Baghdad embassy to normal size and authority”, and
WHEREAS, the reason for attacking Iraq because they possessed weapons of mass destruction was found to be false after the invasion and was known to be false by our current U.S. administration prior to the attack; and four years ago on May 2, 2003, President Bush landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln and declared an end to major combat operations in Iraq, standing under a banner proclaiming “Mission Accomplished”, and
WHEREAS, on June 24, 2007 3,563 U.S. and 281 coalition servicemen and women have been killed in Iraq, while currently over 100 additional Americans are dying every month that the Iraqi occupation continues; and the cost of the Iraq war/occupation has now reached $500 billion, ten times the amount of the Bush administration’s original cost estimation of $50 billion1, and
WHEREAS, multiple insurgencies still continue daily throughout Iraq with an estimated 655,000 or more Iraqi civilians, including many innocent children, women and elderly, having been killed in Iraq since the pre-emptive attack on Iraq by the U.S. on March 19, 2003, while for each month that the U.S. occupation continues, several thousand more Iraqi civilians are killed, and
WHEREAS, a large majority of Iraqi civilians (71%) said in September 2006 that they want U.S. forces to be withdrawn from Iraq within a year or less, while 78% of Iraqis said the presence of U.S. forces is fueling the violence2, and additionally on May 8, 2007 more than half (144) of the members of Iraq’s parliament signed a legislative petition calling on the U.S. to set a timetable for withdrawal3, and
WHEREAS, reconstruction of Iraq’s social support network has continued to be a security problem when U.S. forces are still present, and the Iraqi water and electricity supplies have still not been restored to pre-war levels, and
WHEREAS, the number of Iraq refugees fleeing into Middle Eastern countries, particularly Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, has increased dramatically to over 100,000 people each month, and Iraqi refugees now total 1.8 million people4-5 in addition to countless hundreds of thousands Iraqis displaced within their own borders;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF OREGON RESOLVES AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: We support our US troops by implementing a comprehensive exit strategy from Iraq that provides honor and dignity for Americans and Iraqis, specifically by:
- ending the occupation of Iraq and bringing all our U.S. troops home immediately,
- closing all military bases in Iraq,
- returning all US contractors while turning over all contracting work to the Iraqi government,
- restarting the failed Iraq reconstruction with jobs and training for Iraqis,
- convening a regional conference to help develop an intermediate security and international stabilization force for Iraq as replacements for US troops returning home,
- developing a process of national reconciliation among Iraqis,
- making reparations to Iraqi people for injuries and losses of lives and property,
- ceasing all attempts to privatize Iraq oil interests and national assets,
- restoring Iraqi fiscal integrity without IMF or World Bank restrictions,
- helping stabilize Iraqi food and energy costs, and
- helping fund humanitarian resettlement of Iraqi refugees.
Section 2. We call upon our Oregon Congressional delegation to support the above strategy by cosponsoring the most comprehensive bill to date that encompasses these actions, that is H.R. 1234 “To End the United States Occupation of Iraq Immediately” or similarly specific legislation which accomplishes these goals.
This resolution ties to the Foreign Policy and National security plank of the Oregon Democratic Party platform
Resolution submitted by Tanya Shively, SCC Delegate, and LoErna Simpson, 4th CD Delegate to State PRC, Benton County.
August 26, 2007 Platform and Resolutions Committee Recommendation: Approve as amended
1 Are Iraq war costs spinning out of control? – The tab is $423 billion and rising, prompting economists to reassess US military and homeland security costs . By David R. Francis , Columnist, Christian Science Monitor, May 7, 2007
2 Most Iraqis Want U.S. Troops Out Within a Year – Say U.S. presence provoking more conflict than it is preventing. World Public Opinion, Sept 27, 2006 (conducted Sept 1-4, 2006, by Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at University of Maryland; fielded by KA Research Ltd)
3 Majority of Iraqi Lawmakers Now Reject Occupation ,†By Raed Jarrar and Joshua Holland, AlterNet, May 9, 2007
4 Warning Over Spiraling Iraq Refugee Crisis, By Matt Weaver & Refugees International (Washington, DC), Guardian, Dec 7, 2006.
5 Iraqi Refugee Crisis: International Response Urgently Needed,†By Kristele Younes and Sean Garcia, Refugees International Bulletin, Dec. 5, 2006.
