[Marxism] Fwd: Hey, Antiwar Movement! Did You Know You Live on K Street? And Your Multi-Million$ Are Not Going to Try to End the War Anymore?

["Linda Jansen" <jansen.l12@xxxxxxxxx>]

*A report on Politico.com*

> After a series of legislative defeats in 2007 that saw the year end with
> more U.S. troops in Iraq than when it began, a coalition of anti-war
> groups is backing away from its multimillion-dollar drive to cut funding for
> the war and force Congress to pass timelines for bringing U.S. troops
> home.
>
> In recognition of hard political reality, the groups instead will lower
> their sights and push for legislation to prevent President Bush from
> entering into a long-term agreement with the Iraqi government that could
> keep significant numbers of troops in Iraq for years to come.
>
> The groups believe this switch in strategy can draw contrasts with
> Republicans that will help Democrats gain ground in November and bring the
> votes to pass more dramatic measures. But it is a long way from the early
> months of 2007, when Democrats were freshly in power and momentum for a
> dramatic shift in Iraq policy seemed overpowering.
>
> "There was a consensus that last year was not productive," John Isaacs,
> executive director of Council for a Livable World, said of a meeting
> attended by a coalition of anti-war groups last week. "Our expectations were
> dashed."
>
> The meeting, held at an office on K Street, was attended by around 20
> representatives of influential anti-war groups, including MoveOn.org and
> Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, which spent $12 million last year
> opposing the war.
>
> Isaacs said he thought the meeting would be a difficult one, with an
> adamant faction pressing for continued focus on timelines and funding. It
> wasn't to be.
>
> "We got our heads together and decided to go a different way," Isaacs
> said. "The consensus was not to keep beating our heads against the wall
> trying to block every funding bill — not because we don't agree with it, but
> because we don't have the votes."
>
> Moira Mack, a spokeswoman for AAEI, was also at the meeting. "There was a
> lot of agreement that this is really the way that we can best get our
> message across about endless war versus end-the-war and draw clear
> distinctions between anti-war Democrats and pro-war Republicans. They really
> don't want to end the war. This is the perfect legislative opportunity."
>
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