Press Release
MoveOn.org and Win Without War
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, March 17, 2004
CONTACT: Jessica Smith or Trevor FitzGibbon, Fenton
Communications (202) 822-5200
MILITARY FAMILIES URGE CENSURE FOR BUSH AS CONGRESS
MARKS IRAQ ANNIVERSARY
Coalition Critical of White House Deceptions
Delivers 560,340 Petition Signatures to House Offices As Members
Debate Resolution on the War
Win Without War Annnounces New Phase of Censure
Campaign
WASHINGTON, DC—Families of soldiers serving, as well as of
those who have been casualties, in the occupation of Iraq came to
Capitol Hill today with other volunteers, urging Congress to censure
President George W. Bush.
Meanwhile, volunteers carried petitions that filled 18 large boxes,
signed so far by 560,340 members of MoveOn.org from every congressional
district, to each office in the House of Representatives, reinforcing
the demand for a censure resolution. The groups also displayed print
and TV ads that will begin running this week.
“My son, Army Lt. Seth Dvorin, who died last month while
serving in Iraq, met his responsibility to the nation he loved,”
said Sue Niederer of Pennington, NJ. “As his mother, I am
joining hundreds of thousands of Americans today in asking that
the Congress of the United States meet its responsibility, as well.”
Tom Andrews, national director of Win Without War, said the combined
activities represent an escalation of efforts that will continue.
“The truth matters. By not holding the President accountable,
the Congress is saying it doesn’t. This is unacceptable,”
said Andrews, a former congressman and member of the Armed Services
Committee.
“The resolution now before Congress is silent on the many
ways Bush betrayed our trust, misleading us to make the case for
this war,” said Peter Schurman, executive director of MoveOn.org,
an Internet issues organization with more than two million members.
Also participating in the news conference were Joseph Cirincione,
director of non-proliferation studies at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace; Richard Torgerson, a principal with Progressive
Asset Management in Maryland and a leader of Business Leaders for
Sensible Priorities, and several military families.
The ongoing campaign for censure of the President is led by Win
Without War, a national coalition of 42 membership organizations,
and MoveOn.org, True Majority, Working Assets and Business Leaders
for Sensible Priorities. Richard Torgerson, a financial services
executive in Maryland, represented Business Leaders and unveiled
their new print ad, which will run this week in The New York Times.
Cirincione is an author of the Carnegie Endowment’s critical
study on the Bush Administration’s distortion of intelligence
and other evidence leading up to the war. Entitled “WMD in
Iraq: Evidence and Implications,” it found that Iraq’s
chemical and nuclear weapons programs “did not pose an immediate
threat to the United States,” or to regional or global security.
It also said “there was and is no solid evidence of a cooperative
relationship between Saddam’s government and Al Qaeda.”
“The President and the Administration systematically misrepresented
the threat from Iraq,” Cirincione said. “President Bush
didn’t have the facts, so he made them up.”
“We are honored to be joined in our nationwide campaign for
accountability by a growing number of families whose sons and daughters
have served or are serving our nation in uniform,” Andrews
said. Mildred Mortillo, whose son is serving in Iraq, accompanied
Ms. Niederer.
Speaking for herself and other military families, Ms. Niederer
said: “Our message to Congress today is clear: spare us the
platitudes, the pious rhetoric, the empty slogans. Give us the truth.
Do your job and hold those accountable who have denied us the truth.
Censure President Bush for the deceptions and manipulations that
led our nation to war. You owe the American people, my son and all
those patriots who have sacrificed for their nation no less.”
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