Write Your Senator About Gen. Petraeus

Have you written your senator about the war in Iraq, about the Petraeus report hitting the Senate today and tomorrow? You should. I did.

Here's my letter. Read it. Then find your representatives and write and call and call them out.

Dear Senator Brown,

I lived most of my life in Cleveland, OH, and while I missed last November's election living in North Carolina, I was pulling for you. Now living in Cincinnati, I am glad you were able to prevail; you would've had another vote from me.

I only mention this because I voted, as many Americans did, primarily out of frustration at the complacency of a Republican-ruled Congress holding strong to the pole of President Bush's war flag; It is a flag that illegally drove us into Iraq and will - with recent administration media marching orders - drive us into a conflict with Iran.

We were tired of it. The Democratic Party took power. Now we're getting tired of the Democratic Party. You were supposed to bring the troops home, but it's politics as usual in Washington: back-scratching and sweetheart deals and the frontrunners of our party for the next presidential race parroting "we just don't have the votes."

I call shenanigans, because it's much nicer than using 'bullshit' in a letter to my State Senator.

As you are well aware, today and tomorrow brings Gen. David Petraeus to the Senate to deliver an admittedly White House-tweaked report on our 'progress' in Iraq. Almost 4,000 dead Americans is our 'progress;' our brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters, who would rather be at home, fighting against other people's brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters who would rather be in heaven. How do we win that fight?

Chances are you will hear that it's working a little and, hey guys, why don't you just lay off and we can do this again in March and Grumble, grumble, watermelon, watermelon, hrumph, hrumph, "we don't have the votes"...okay.

We win the fight not by fighting but by diplomatic, "be the bigger person" policies. I beg of you: Shut Petraeus down. Then tell the other democrats in the Senate to grow a set and provide only the money it will take to bring our troops home; that is what you were all elected to do. Finally, fix the Congressional emasculation that occurred before you were elected and do everything in your power to prevent an invasion/strike on Iran.

The only way we will win in 2008 is by proving we are different from the 2001-2009 BuCheney War Machine Tour. And right now, Ron Paul is looking better than Clinton or Obama.

Senator Sherrod Brown, end this war.