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U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey and PDA National Director Tim Carpenter spoke at the PDA Rally in front of the White House on Thursday, September 15, before delivering the People's Petition on Iraq to the White House. Joining Woolsey and Carpenter at the rally were Tom Hayden, former California State Senator, Reverend Lennox Yearwood, PDA Board Member and Chairman of the Hip Hop Caucus, John Bonifaz, lead attorney on the Ohio recount case and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, and Daniel Ellsberg.
PDA is proud to be aligned with progressive legislators such as Congresswoman Woolsey, who again showed remarkable leadership, courage, and conviction in holding Congressional hearings to plan a realistic strategy for withdrawing from the U.S. incursion in Iraq. Rep.Woolsey, was the first Member of Congress to call on the President to develop and implement a plan to bring U.S. troops out of Iraq, and had previously requested hearings in the U.S. House International Relations Committee and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee to discuss plans to bring the troops home. Because her requests of the President and the Republican controlled Congress were ignored, Congresswoman Woolsey organized the hearings Thursday to openly discuss strategies to achieve military disengagement.
"The question for us today is not the why of troop withdrawal," Woolsey said, "its the how. We are here -- prepared not just to say no to the war in Iraq -- but yes to a new, intelligent, progressive, peaceful Iraq policy that will both protect the American people and fulfill our obligations to the Iraqi people."
After PDA presented the more than twenty five thousand signature petition to Congresswoman Woolsey, PDA National Director Tim Carpenter and and PDA Senior Policy Advisor Steve Cobble met with congress members and congressional staff in the offices of Congresswomen Waters, Lee, and Woolsey, as well as Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rep. John Conyers, Jr., to further discuss plans to end the war and bring the troops home.
After the hearing and the rally, the petitions were physically delivered to the White House by Bill Goold, Executive Director of the Progressive Congressional Caucus.
