Demand a success strategy for Iraq!

In July 2005, over 100,000 Americans joined Senator Boxer and signed a petition to President Bush, urging him to develop a new strategy in the war in Iraq.

Following is the text from that online advocacy campaign::  

It's time to develop a strategy that can succeed in Iraq, defuse the terrorist insurgency, and bring our brave men and women home.

We have no idea -- none -- how long the Administration plans to be in Iraq. Is it two years, ten, twenty?  The President's message of "as long as it takes" is counterproductive, because it continues to fuel the terrorist insurgency.  It is time for President Bush to send a clear message that we do not intend to remain in Iraq indefinitely or maintain permanent bases there. That doesn't mean we should set an exact date for withdrawal. But it does mean we need a general timeframe to complete the mission.

In 50 or 100 years, I hope historians will be able to look back and say that the fall of 2005 is when Americans brought credibility, accountability, and responsibility to a very tough situation.

I hope they say that we finally began to level with the American people. That we articulated a winnable mission and a detailed plan to fulfill it. And that we gave our troops the support they needed and deserved in Iraq and upon their return to our beloved shores.

We owe it to our soldiers, to the American people, to Iraqis, and, yes, to history, to do nothing less.

Please sign my petition to President Bush today!  I want to take your signature with me when I personally deliver our petition to Condoleezza Rice on October 19th.

Petition Text: 

After two and a half years of war, the American people are still waiting to hear the truth about what our mission is in Iraq and how we are going to accomplish it.  Frankly, it is difficult to keep track of all the missions we've had so far, because the story changes every few weeks.  First there was the weapons of mass destruction mission, then regime change, then rebuilding, then bringing democracy, and now it's fighting terrorism.

It's time to develop a strategy that can succeed in Iraq, defuse the terrorist insurgency, and bring our brave men and women home. That will only happen if you immediately bring credibility, accountability, and responsibility to a war that has been lacking in all three.

• Credibility:  It's time for you to stop using sound bytes like "Mission Accomplished" and be truthful with the American people. 
  
  
• Accountability:  We need to hear from your Administration exactly how many Iraqi forces are needed; how to meet that goal; and by when.
  
  
• Responsibility: We must honor our soldiers not just on the 4th of July, but every day -- by giving them the equipment they need while they are deployed and the health care they deserve when they come home.
  

I urge you to tell the truth to the American people, articulate a clear timeline of our plans for Iraq, and take responsibility for our men and women in uniform.