CAMPAIGNING IN THE REMAINING US PRIMARIES PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DENNIS KUCINICH SAYS BUSH FAILED TO ANSWER THE #1 QUESTION ON THE MINDS OF MOST AMERICANS!

APRIL 13TH 2004 ... President Bush failed again to answer the one most crucial question that is on the minds of most Americans: "When will our troops come home from Iraq?" Ohio Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich says Bush promised more of the same no-end-in-sight vision that has marked this unjustified and illegitimate war from the beginning. "The President's answers to questions about how long our forces will remain were as vague as ever and wholly predictable," Kucinich emphasized. The President's statements that, "We'll stay the course. We'll complete the job. We must not waiver. The United States will continue to occupy – his word – Iraq as long as necessary," makes it clear that this election is about world leadership and who is telling the truth to the American people. "It is not George W. Bush," says the Democratic Presidential challenger.

"Bush is prepared to escalate American involvement in the region," says Kucinich. "This administration is going to sacrifice the lives of our soldiers." The statements made by this President are alarming. "If more troops are needed," Bush said. "He will send them. Any concession or retreat," he went on, "will embolden the enemy." Kucinich has some questions for the President. "When will Bush realize that our very presence in Iraq has become a lightning rod for increased hostility and increased violence?" The economic impact is profound. "We can't afford to stay the course. We need a new course – a reasoned and responsible way out, not a political rationalization for keeping our troops at risk indefinitely, and sending even more troops into harm's way."

"Given the President's unhesitating willingness to send more and more of our young men and women to a war that was launched on lies and exaggerations, how long will it be before he resorts to a reinstatement of the draft to feed the demands of a thoroughly flawed and totally failed foreign policy?" The Ohio Congressman who lead the vote against the invasion is emphatic, "We went to war for the wrong reasons. We continue to be at war for the wrong reasons. And it's time to ask the United Nations to assume responsibility so our troops can come home! This can only come about when the US takes an entirely new direction, reconnecting with the world community through the United Nations, letting go of ambitions to control the oil and the contracts, trying to privatize Iraq, and run the government by remote control."

Important Message From MoveOn.Org

The effort to stabilize Iraq is out of control. It's time to face the facts squarely, and recognize that America, acting alone, is no longer capable of reaching the hearts and minds of Iraqis. We've got to transfer management authority over Iraq to the United Nations, to enable a real transition to peaceful Iraqi self-rule. Join us in calling for this change, at:

http://www.moveon.org/unauthority/?id=2618-145901-ANIP5VFmvwEmnxevoXIANA

60 Americans and reportedly hundreds of Iraqis have been killed in just the past week; 677 Americans have died in Iraq since the war began. A religious leader hostile to the United States now controls two cities, and has sparked uprisings in two others. Dozens of foreigners have been taken hostage. The growing opposition to American rule among the Iraqi population "probably runs in the tens of thousands", consisting of people who "have jobs in vegetable shops, offices, garages, and schools." These are the very people who should comprise the civil society we're hoping to build as the basis for peaceful Iraqi self-rule. Instead, they're arming themselves and awaiting the call to attack Americans.

Our troops in Iraq are stretched thin -- many reservists have been serving there for more than a year, with no end in sight. U.S. commanders are asking for more troops, and Senate leaders like John McCain share the concern that our current troop levels are inadequate. There's talk of a draft, perhaps to be announced just after our November elections. But instead of simply redoubling our commitment to the present course, we should support our soldiers by taking the bull's-eye off their backs. At its core, the challenge our troops face in Iraq is about legitimacy:

Iraqis see us increasingly as an occupying power, not a liberating one. To send a credible message of stewardship and transition to self-rule, we need a truly international coalition, including key Arab nations like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. As Thomas Friedman put it, "If it is America alone against the Iraqi street, we lose. If it is the world against the Iraqi street, we have a chance." Of course, transferring control to the U.N. would also enable many other nations to share the logistical and financial burdens of helping Iraq transition to peaceful self-rule. This isn't a partisan issue. "In both parties, members are concerned," according to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) "There's not abject panic, but there's deep concern, and there should be."