Help Me Fight

05/31/2007

Dear DFLers,

One of fourteen. Fourteen of us stood up in the U.S. Senate and voted "No" to a blank check for President Bush to continue his misguided policy in Iraq. We refused to give in to President Bush.

I'm proud of that vote. We stood against appeals to politics and pride and demanded a change of course in Iraq. We defied the White House tactics of fear and smear. Presidents and politicians may be concerned about losing votes or losing face or losing legacies. We told the truth because we are more concerned about young Americans losing their lives. While we lost that roll call, I guarantee we will win the judgment of history because Washington is wrong and Americans are right, and we must set a new course in Iraq.

I believe in and I am fighting for the mission I've made my cause in the Senate: a deadline for Iraq. You've joined me in fighting to give our troops a better option than to referee another country's civil war. I'm fighting to force Iraqis to stand up for Iraq. And I'm fighting to give our nation's veterans the fair shake they have been denied by this administration.

If you're impatient, fed up and want to send a message to Congress and the president that this fight won't end until our troops are no longer caught in the cross-fire in Iraq, contribute today to my re-election effort, and we'll contribute 10% of all funds raised to veteran services organizations.

President Bush considers himself "the decider". When the Democratic Congress we all worked so hard to elect sent him a bill that included a deadline for redeploying our troops from Iraq, he vetoed that budget. A coalition largely made up of Republicans has sent the president the blank check he asked for.

So what do we do now that we've hit a bump in the road? Fold up our tents? No way. I am determined to continue pressing this issue until President Bush changes course. I'm not going to ask for patience, because the truth is big policy changes like this are only achieved by impatient people -- in huge numbers.

That's where the JohnKerry.com community comes in -- you are millions of Americans who are impatient for change. Last year we played a huge role in the big Democratic wins in November and we've kept the momentum going this year. More than 32,000 of you joined my call to set a deadline in Iraq. We've raised almost $80,000 to campaign against the Roadblock Republicans. We've partnered with great progressives like MoveOn.org, Al Gore and the League of Conservation Voters to fight for a change to the disastrous course in Iraq and the disastrous energy and environmental policies that have us over a barrel of Middle East oil.

Already Roadblock Republican Mitch McConnell is signaling that even he won't be standing with Bush indefinitely.

From the Associated Press:

"I think that the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall, and I expect the president to lead it," McConnell said. "In other words, I think he, himself, has certainly indicated he's not happy with where we are. And I think we are looking for a new direction in the fall."

We've got to keep fighting. This president obviously isn't going to listen to reason. Of course you're angry. Our troops are fighting and dying while the president and his allies in Congress are playing political games. It's time to regroup, reorganize and show that we're not walking away from this fight, that's why I'm running for reelection -- please contribute today.

Thank you,
John Kerry