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April 5th, 2006

11:01 pm [Link]

Rumsfeld dodges, Condi appears In March, more than 57,000 Americans signed my online petition to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, demanding that he produce a plan for getting our troops out of the middle of an Iraqi civil war. I was proud to deliver that petition to the Pentagon last week -- and I hope that with the clout from the PAC for a Change community, we'll start getting some answers. Because we certainly haven't been getting any answers from Secretary Rumsfeld up until now. I had already written my own letter to Secretary Rumsfeld in late February. But instead of hearing back from him, earlier last week my office received a letter from Undersecretary of Defense Eric Edelman that didn't provide any of the information we're seeking -- nor did it assure me that that information would be forthcoming. So last week I renewed my call to Secretary Rumsfeld, demanding that you and I hear from him -- directly -- about his plan for protecting American troops in the face of escalating violence between the Sunnis and Shias. After all, according to former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi when describing the situation on the ground in his country, "If this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is... Maybe we have not reached the point of no return yet. But we are moving towards this point." I'll keep you posted on Secretary Rumsfeld's response. His primary responsibility is doing his utmost to protect our brave men and women in uniform who are putting their lives on the line for our country. Our soldiers deserve to know that Secretary Rumsfeld has a plan for the worst-case scenario, and with your help, I'm going to keep the pressure on until he produces it. In the meantime, today I'm questioning Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the misguided nuclear deal the Administration has negotiated with India. I'm very concerned about this deal because it further undermines the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, rewarding India with nuclear power technology from the United States even though India refuses to halt its nuclear weapons program. It will also give Iran and North Korea more excuses to develop their own nuclear weapons, since the U.S. is effectively looking the other way on India. Further, as we continue to export nuclear technology to more and more countries, especially India, where export controls are notoriously lax, it's increasingly likely that such technology will find its way into the hands of terrorists. That's clearly unacceptable -- fighting and winning the war on terrorism should be the Bush Administration's top priority. So that's some of the latest from Washington, DC. I just wanted to keep you posted on our progress, and let you know how much I value your participation. I need you with me every step of the way as we continue to fight for the future of our country. Thanks so much for your continued support. In Friendship, Barbara Boxer P.S. With Tom DeLay's decision to resign from Congress, one of the primary architects of the Republican Party's culture of corruption is leaving. That's an important victory -- but we still have much more to do.