In Tom Vannah’s cover story about the film War Made Easy (“Presidents, Pundits and Propaganda,” Sept. 27, 2007), he refers to U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of California as “the lone vote in Congress against the Iraq War.” This is inaccurate since Congressional voting records show that presidential candidate Rep. Dennis Kucinich has voted “No” on the original authorization for use of force in Iraq in October, 2002 as well as every appropriations bill to fund that war and occupation.
I feel it’s important that people know that Kucinich is the only Democratic presidential candidate with a clear voting record against the war. While Clinton, Dodd, and Obama finally recently caved in to overwhelming anti-war sentiment, they had previously voted “Yes” nine times over the past five years to starting this war and keeping it funded. Just as important to note is that these three candidates also favor leaving a “residual force” in Iraq. On the other hand, Kucinich wants to bring all our troops home, while preparing for a transition to an international peacekeeping force.
Kucinich has been one of the most consistent voices for peace in Congress and has worked toward establishing a Department of Peace. If we want a president who has actually demonstrated his opposition to this disastrous war and his commitment to finding peaceful means of resolving problems, as well as a commitment to serve the needs of the people and not fund his campaign from special interests’ big bucks, we all need to be contributing as much as we’re able to his campaign and giving him our vote in the primaries. The primaries are definitely the time to vote your heart and your truth!
Joy Kaubin
Montague
Tom Vannah replies: The film is more specific on this point than my story, but Barbara Lee was indeed the sole vote in either the House or Senate opposing a Sept. 14, 2001 resolution authorizing military action against the 9/11 terrorists and any nation state harboring them. The House vote was 420 to 1.
This is a vote that many people forget, with almost all the attention focused on the Iraq resolution of 2002; the 2001 resolution set in motion much of what we’ve seen since, which Kucinich has opposed. It was a critical moment because, as Lee suggested at the time, the Bush administration and a feckless Congress, with the endorsement of many news organizations, rushed this enabling resolution into law less than 72 hours after the 9/11 attacks, when emotions were running high.
