Peace Council wants Iraq back in congressional race
Syracuse Post-Standard
Mike McAndrew
October 2nd, 2008
The Syracuse Peace Council wants to push the Iraq war back into the 25th Congressional District campaign.
While the Iraq war was the number one issue during the 2006 campaign between incumbent Rep. James Walsh and Democrat Dan Maffei, this year's race between Maffei, Republican Dale Sweetland and Green Populist Howie Hawkins has focused primarily on energy issues and the economy.
Today, the peace council urged 900 subscribers on its email list to pressure the candidates to talk about how they will help end the Iraq war.
Members were urged to protest the war at public forums where the candidates are scheduled to discuss domestic topics, including at a forum on health care at 7 p.m. today at the Palace Theatre in Eastwood.
"A lot of politiclans now are avoiding talking about the war in Iraq," said Jessica Maxwell, a staffer at the peace council. "Ending the Iraq war and changing the focus of our foreign policy should be a significant piece. If that's not on the agenda of the congressional candidates, we'd see that as a big problem."
She said the cost of the war has a direct impact on Congress' ability to solve domestic problems like health care, education and the economy.
Maffei and Sweetland have both said they want the war in Iraq to end as soon as possible. Maffei voiced support for a bill which would have required troop withdrawals to begin within 30 days with a goal of removing all combat forces by December 2009. Sweetland has said he probably would have voted against going to war if he had been in Congress in 2003. Sweetland's campaign web site lists energy, the economy and protecting Second Amendment rights as campaign issues, but does not include the Iraq war on the list.
Hawkins has called for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Maxwell said Hawkins' stance is the closest to the goals of the peace council, but said the council does not endorse political candidates.
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