I just got an email from John Edwards (because I am his friend; the email said so). He asked me to sign a petition encouraging Congress to end the war in Iraq. I signed it, and I think you ought to, too. Here’s what Edwards told me:

Today, right now, you and I have the best chance in years to help end the war in Iraq but we must take immediate action.

Here’s the situation: Both houses of Congress have voted across party lines to bring our troops home with a plan to fully fund their redeployment and safe return. President Bush has vowed to veto this funding because it hampers his ability to wage endless war — he’d rather block funding for the troops than listen to the overwhelming majority of the American people who want the war to end.

Yesterday, Bush called a special press conference and made his strategy crystal clear: veto funding for the troops and then blame Congress for the results. He’s betting that Congress will buckle under the pressure and just drop their plan to end the war. We cannot let that happen.

So today, I’m launching an emergency petition to Congress, urging them to stand firm on Iraq. We have to show every senator and representative that their constituents will not be fooled by Bush’s ploy—Congress must not abandon the plan to end the war. We’re aiming to gather at least 100,000 signatures before the showdown begins after Congress returns to Washington next week. Please add your name today:

http://johnedwards.com/r/9390/863822/

President Bush’s calculation is simple. He knows the people are against him and his occupation is a failure, but because he controls the bully pulpit he thinks he can control the debate. So he’ll continue to use the full might of his legendary spin machine to tell the American people that Congress is de-funding the troops, even as he vetos that very funding with his own pen.

As the President of the United States, Bush has a responsibility to the troops, and he has failed this responsibility over and over again. Congress also has a responsibility: To decide how to spend the people’s money — and to say when enough is enough.

It’s true that Cheney, Rove, and the rest of the president’s team are master political calculators — and they do have a head start in shaping the headlines and controlling the spin.

But this is not the time for political calculation. This is the time for political courage.

If Bush vetoes the funding bill, Congress should send it back to him just as before — with a plan to bring the troops home. And if he vetoes it again, they should pass it again. And they should do this as many times as it takes for Bush to understand that the American people will not be bullied into writing another blank check for his war without end.

For years, Bush has abused the rhetoric of patriotism to frighten his opponents and divide our country — we can’t let Bush get away with it anymore. When Congress funds the troops with a plan to bring them home, they are supporting the troops. When Bush vetoes that funding, he is responsible for blocking the money the troops depend on — nobody else.

But where will our representatives in Washington find that political courage, in the face of such powerful opposition? They will find it where courage has always been strongest in our nation’s most critical moments. They will find it in the voice of the people — they will find it in you.

Will you add your name — your voice — to our call for courage? We’re aiming to gather a hundred thousand signatures before Congress returns to Washington, and we can’t do it without you.

Please sign today.

Thank you for standing up,
John Edwards