A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
congressional
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
candidates, retired military officers and national security professionals that outlines policy measures (consisting of bills currently before the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
) that the candidates pledged to support in the 2008 elections.
The plan's stated proposals with respect to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
are: drawing down U.S. military involvement in Iraq, development of a permanent nation-building
Nation-building
For nation-building in the sense of enhancing the capacity of state institutions, building state-society relations, and also external interventions see State-building....
capability in the Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, a large infusion of foreign aid into Iraq, a transfer of responsibility to the international community
International community
The international community is a term used in international relations to refer to all peoples, cultures and governments of the world or to a group of them. The term is used to imply the existence of common duties and obligations between them...
through dialogue, addressing refugee issues, creation of an independent war crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s commission, and funding of education to improve the status of women.
With respect to American domestic politics, the proposals are to ban Presidential signing statements, require treatment in accordance with the Geneva Conventions
Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of the victims of war...
and habeas corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
rights for all prisoners, allow potential surveillance targets to sue the government pre-emptively for injunctive relief, prohibit rendition, increase benefits for veterans, reduce defense contracting, and address energy issues.
Background
On March 20, 2003, the United States invaded2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
Iraq leading a multinational coalition
Multinational force in Iraq
The Multi-National Force – Iraq was a military command, led by the United States, which was responsible for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Multi-National Force – Iraq replaced the previous force, Combined Joint Task Force 7, on 15 May 2004, and was later itself reorganized into its successor, United...
that included British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
troops as well as smaller contingents from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, and other nations.
Since the beginning of the war there has been great debate about how it should end. The plan cites a number of facts and events as the foundation for its existence, including the following:
- In November 2006, voters elected a new Democratic Party majority in both the SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
and the House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in the 110th Congress110th United States CongressThe One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. It was composed of the Senate and the House of...
, largely with the expectation that they would work to reduce or end American military involvement in Iraq. - In December 2006 the Iraq Study GroupIraq Study GroupThe Iraq Study group , was a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006, by the United States Congress, that was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and making policy recommendations...
(ISG), a ten-person bipartisan panel appointed on March 15, 2006 by Congress, released their final reportIraq Study Group ReportThe Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward – A New Approach is the report of the Iraq Study Group, as mandated by the United States Congress. It is an assessment of the state of the war in Iraq as of December 6, 2006, when the ISG released the report to the public on the Internet and as a...
. Also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission, the ISG was charged with assessing the situation in Iraq and the US-led Iraq War and making policy recommendations. While President George W. BushGeorge W. BushGeorge Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
praised the ISG's efforts, he rejected many of its recommendations. - In March 2007, General David PetraeusDavid PetraeusDavid Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
, Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, claimed that there was "no military solution" in Iraq, and that political negotiations were crucial to forging any lasting peace. - By March 2008, the number of U.S. military personnel killed in Iraq had reached 4,000, with many thousands more wounded, and an estimated hundreds of thousands of Iraqi casualties.
- Also by March 2008, the financial cost of the Iraq WarFinancial cost of the Iraq WarThe following is a partial accounting of financial costs of the 2003 Iraq War by the United States and the United Kingdom, the two largest non Iraqi participants of the multinational force in Iraq.-Direct costs:...
to the United States had surpassed the half trillion dollar mark.
Germination
On August 27, 2007, President Bush made a fundraising visit to Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
in support of Republican Representative Dave Reichert
Dave Reichert
David George Reichert is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as Sheriff of King County, Washington.-Early life, education and career:...
. In response, Reichert's main opponent, Democratic candidate Darcy Burner
Darcy Burner
Darcy Gibbons Burner is a Democrat from Carnation, Washington. She was a candidate for in 2006 and 2008, but lost to incumbent Dave Reichert in both elections. She worked for twelve years in high technology including five years at Microsoft as a Marketing Manager, working on .NET...
, organized a "virtual town hall" meeting to discuss the situation in Iraq. The town hall meeting was streamed live online and included testimonials from Ambassador Joe Wilson
Joseph C. Wilson
Joseph Charles Wilson IV is a former United States diplomat best known for his 2002 trip to Niger to investigate allegations that Saddam Hussein was attempting to purchase yellowcake uranium; his New York Times op-ed piece, "What I Didn't Find in Africa"; and the subsequent "outing" of his wife...
and retired Major General Paul Eaton
Paul Eaton
Major General Paul D. Eaton is a retired United States Army General most known for his command of operations to train Iraqi troops in George W. Bush's invasion of that country...
, former Security Transition Commanding General in Iraq, and the participation of Jon Soltz
Jon Soltz
Jon Soltz served as a United States Army Captain in the Iraq War and served as the chairman and co-founder of VoteVets.org, before taking a leave of absence for a year beginning in 2011, while deployed as part of Operation New Dawn . As a member of the army, he served in both the Kosovo Campaign ...
, chairman of VoteVets.org, and retired Navy Captain Larry Seaquist
Larry Seaquist
Larry Seaquist is the current Democratic member of the Washington House of Representatives, which is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, for the 26th District....
, among others. In a statement following the event, Darcy Burner wrote:
Unveiling
On March 17, 2008 at the Take Back America conference in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Darcy Burner (WA-08
Washington's 8th congressional district
Washington's 8th congressional district includes most of the region known as the Eastside and the mostly rural eastern parts of King and Pierce counties. It is currently represented in the U.S. House of Representatives by Republican Dave Reichert....
) was joined by five other congressional candidates Donna Edwards
Donna Edwards
Donna F. Edwards is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2008. She is a member of the Democratic Party...
, Chellie Pingree
Chellie Pingree
Rochelle M. "Chellie" Pingree is an American politician. She is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing since 2009. The district includes most of the southern part of the state, including Portland and Augusta.Pingree was a member of the Maine Senate from...
, Tom Perriello
Tom Perriello
Thomas Stuart Price "Tom" Perriello is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes much of Southside Virginia and stretches north to Charlottesville....
, Sam Bennett and Jared Polis
Jared Polis
Jared Schutz Polis is an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and U.S. Representative for , serving since 2009. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
for the unveiling of A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq, a 36-page document that was the culmination of the six-month effort.
Endorsers
In addition to the six candidates at the March 2008 unveiling and Eaton, the plan was also initially endorsed by candidates Eric MassaEric Massa
-March to the Primaries:Freshman incumbent Randy Kuhl had been elected to Congress with slightly over 50% of the popular vote in a three way race in 2004. In early 2005, former U.S. Naval officer Eric J.J. Massa, a long-time friend of 2004 presidential candidate General Wesley Clark filed to run...
, George Fearing , Larry Byrnes , and Steve Harrison , as well as Dr. Lawrence Korb
Lawrence Korb
Lawrence J. Korb , is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a Senior Adviser to the Center for Defense Information...
, former Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
, Capt. Larry Seaquist, former commander of the USS Iowa
USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...
and former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Policy Planning, and Brigadier General John Johns, specialist in counterinsurgency and nation-building. Two days after the initial unveiling, Rand Beers
Rand Beers
Rand Beers was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as the Under Secretary for the National Protection and Programs Directorate at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. On June 19, 2009, Beers was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to direct NPPD’s integrated efforts to reduce risks to...
, a counterterrorism expert who served on the National Security Council
United States National Security Council
The White House National Security Council in the United States is the principal forum used by the President of the United States for considering national security and foreign policy matters with his senior national security advisors and Cabinet officials and is part of the Executive Office of the...
under Presidents Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
and Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
added his endorsement. Within one week, the plan had received the endorsement of an additional 24 Democratic challengers, and as of July 2008 it had 58 House and Senate candidate endorsements, and over 50,000 individual endorsers.
Outline
The two main strategic questions the plan seeks to answer are:- How to bring American military engagement in Iraq to a responsible end?
- How to prevent a repeat of mistakes that have been made?
The plan attempts to present a combined military, diplomatic, and economic strategy to end the war in Iraq. It cites various ISG recommendations and lists a number of existing, but stalled bills in Congress that address multiple areas of focus.
Objectives
The plan breaks down the areas of focus into several categories:- Ending U.S. military action in Iraq.
(per ISG recommendations 22, 40, 41 and 42) - Increasing the use of U.S. diplomatic power and refocusing anti-terrorism measures.
(per ISG recommendations 1 and 2) - Addressing Iraqi economic reconstruction and regional humanitarian concerns.
- Restoring governmental transparency and accountability, and constitutional rights.
- Restoring the U.S. military and supporting veterans.
- Restoring independence to the media.
- Creating a new, U.S.-centered energy policy.
(per ISG recommendation 23)
Iraq Study Group recommendations
In support of the stated objectives, the plan references seven recommendationsIraq Study Group Report
The Iraq Study Group Report: The Way Forward – A New Approach is the report of the Iraq Study Group, as mandated by the United States Congress. It is an assessment of the state of the war in Iraq as of December 6, 2006, when the ISG released the report to the public on the Internet and as a...
from the final report of the Iraq Study Group.
Legislation
The plan categorizes fifteen bills that have been introduced in both the House or Senate during the 110th Congress that address the various objectives of the plan. Through February 2009, most of these have been referred to subcommittees, only three have been voted on in the House, and none have yet been enacted into law.| Objective Category | Bill / Bill Title |
Current Status | Date Introduced | House Vote | Senate Vote | Date Enacted Into Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diplomacy / State Department Reform | H.R. 3797 New Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq Act |
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on October 10, 2007 | October 10, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| Human Rights / Iraqi Refugees | H.R. 2265 Responsibility to Iraqi Refugees Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law on June 25, 2007 | May 10, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| H.R. 3674 Iraqi Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement, and Security Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law on November 2, 2007 | September 26, 2007 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Restoring The Constitution | H.R. 3045 Presidential Signing Statements Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on August 10, 2007 | July 16, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| H.R. 1416 Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties on March 19, 2007 | March 8, 2007 | -- | -- | -- | |
| S. 139 Foreign Surveillance Expedited Review Act |
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary is a standing committee of the United States Senate, of the United States Congress. The Judiciary Committee, with 18 members, is charged with conducting hearings prior to the Senate votes on confirmation of federal judges nominated by the... on January 4, 2007 |
January 4, 2007 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Military Integrity | H.R. 4102 Stop Outsourcing Security Act |
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs United States House Committee on International Relations The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House of Representatives, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives which has jurisdiction over bills and investigations related to the foreign affairs of the United States... , and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, and Intelligence (Permanent Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned, on November 7, 2007 |
November 7, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| H.R. 400 War Profiteering Prevention Act of 2007 |
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 423 on October 17, 2007 | January 11, 2007 | Passed October 9, 2007: 375-3 | -- | -- | |
| H.R. 1352 Torture Outsourcing Prevention Act |
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on March 6, 2007 | March 6, 2007 | -- | -- | -- | |
| H.R. 2740 MEJA Expansion and Enforcement Act of 2007 |
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 413 on October 5, 2007 | June 15, 2007 | Passed October 4, 2007: 389-30 | -- | -- | |
| Veterans | H.R. 2247 Montgomery GI Bill for Life Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel on June 28, 2007 | May 9, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| H.R. 2874 Veterans' Health Care Improvement Act of 2007 |
Referred by Senate to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs on August 3, 2007 | June 27, 2007 | Passed July 30, 2007 on voice vote | -- | -- | |
| H.R. 2702 Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity United States House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity The United States Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity is one of the four subcommittees within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.-Jurisdiction:From the House Rules:... , and the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs United States House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs The United States Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs is one of the four subcommittees within the House Veterans' Affairs Committee.-Jurisdiction:From the House Rules:... on June 20, 2007 |
June 13, 2007 | -- | -- | -- | |
| Media | S. 2332 Media Ownership Act of 2007 |
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Inouye Daniel Inouye Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate... with amendments on September 15, 2008 |
November 8, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
| Energy | H.R. 2809 New Apollo Energy Act of 2007 |
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research The House Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry is a subcommittee within the House Agriculture Committee. The subcommittee oversees all agricultural matters relating to soil, water, and resource conservation; small watershed program; energy and biobased energy production; rural... on April 25, 2008 |
June 21, 2007 | -- | -- | -- |
Views about the plan
The plan received national press and attention following its unveiling. Ilan Goldenberg, Policy Director at the National Security Network, writing in The New RepublicThe New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
, called it "thoughtful", "a good first step" and "welcome progress". Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington
Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
at Huffington Post referred to it as "A Contract to Restore America".
The plan has also been written about in The Atlantic, Politico
The Politico
The Politico is an American political journalism organization based in Arlington, Virginia, that distributes its content via television, the Internet, newspaper, and radio. Its coverage of Washington, D.C., includes the U.S. Congress, lobbying, media and the Presidency...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Democracy Arsenal, Truthout, and msnbc.com
Msnbc.com
msnbc.com is a news website owned and operated as a joint venture by NBCUniversal and Microsoft.In addition to original content from its news staff, msnbc.com is the news website for the NBC News family, with content from the cable television news channel MSNBC, NBC shows such as Today, NBC Nightly...
.
The plan was also mentioned on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Katrina vanden Heuvel is the editor, publisher, and part-owner of the magazine The Nation. She has been the magazine's editor since 1995. She is a frequent guest on numerous television programs...
, publisher of the The Nation magazine, called the plan "responsible", saying "there are no military solutions". However, Political commentator Cokie Roberts
Cokie Roberts
Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Roberts , best known as Cokie Roberts, is an American Emmy Award-winning journalist and bestselling author. She is a contributing senior news analyst for National Public Radio as well as a regular roundtable analyst for the current This Week with Christiane...
stated that withdrawal from Iraq, one of the goals of the plan, would be "an irresponsible thing to do", claiming "Americans would prefer to win".
While the plan has received considerable support from the liberal blogosphere
Blogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
and grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
organizations, such as OpenLeft
OpenLeft
OpenLeft was a political blog founded July 9, 2007 by Matt Stoller, Chris Bowers, originally of MyDD, and Mike Lux, a former official in the White House under President Bill Clinton Covering political and social issues from a progressive standpoint, it spearheaded a number of causes, including...
and Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, it has been panned and received criticism from Republicans in Congress and other conservative commentators. Dave Reichert (Republican WA-08) – who defeated Darcy Burner in the 2006 election, and again in 2008 – has said through his spokesman that he "believes military leaders on the ground – not candidates for political office – should make decisions about when and how to end the war". Reichert's spokesman also suggested that "it would be irresponsible to withdraw troops and then send U.S. money 'into a black hole.'"
There are indications that within the Democratic Party the plan has had some influence in the debate. The plan has been cited on the House floor and "helped focus" actions in the House according to Speaker
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, or Speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives...
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
speaking about the plan and Burner's efforts in a June 2008 interview.
External links
- A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq
- A Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq full text (PDF)
- The Iraq Study Group Report full text (PDF)