End the War!

A message from CREDO Action: The media are reporting that President Obama will make a decision Wednesday on the scope and schedule for a withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan starting in July. We need to make sure President Obama knows we expect him to live up to his commitment to make the withdrawal substantial.

President Obama previously told reporters that he was "confident that the withdrawal will be significant,"¹ but did not express the same confidence a few weeks ago in a closed-door meeting with House Democrats.

After that meeting, Rep. Jim McGovern said:

"I don't feel we got an assurance that there would be a substantial and significant drawdown of American forces in July."²

Call the White House and tell President Obama that we expect him to bring a substantial number of troops home from Afghanistan starting in July.

Click here for a number to call and a sample script.

Last month, the House narrowly defeated an amendment to a defense funding bill that would have required the president to issue a timeline for withdrawal from Afghanistan. That the amendment came so close to passing is seen as a sign of growing discontent with the war.

But with more than 100,000 soldiers in Afghanistan, news reports suggest that the Pentagon is pushing back on a substantial withdrawal starting in July. In fact, key military figures are supporting only the return home of the 30,000 "surge" troops that President Obama sent to Afghanistan just 18 months ago in a major escalation of the war. And these 30,000 wouldn't come home in July of this year or even July of next year — Gen. David Petraeus is endorsing a plan to withdraw only 30,000 surge troops and not until the end of 2012.³

Call the White House and tell President Obama that we expect him to quickly bring a substantial number of troops home from Afghanistan.

Click here for a number to call and a sample script.

The American people overwhelmingly want us to bring the occupation of Afghanistan to an end. But we cannot afford to be a silent majority.

Now is the time to add your voice to a growing chorus that is asking President Obama to demonstrate leadership and set us on course for a speedy end to the war. And the best way for President Obama to do that is to announce that we'll begin a significant reduction of our troop levels when he begins the withdrawal in July.

Call the White House and tell President Obama that we expect him to do more than make a token withdrawal in July.

Click here for a number to call and a sample script.

Thank you for working to end the war in Afghanistan.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Notes:
¹ President Obama's interview with the Associated Press, April 16, 2011.
²"House Democrats talk debt limit, Afghanistan with Obama," Felicia Sonmez and Paul Kane, Washington Post, June 2, 2011.
³"Obama Will Announce Afghanistan Troop Decision on Wednesday," Marc Ambinder,National Journal, June 20, 2011.