AFSCME President Gerald McEntee Calls Iraq War Escalation 'Reckless and Wrong'

Gerald W. McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), AFL-CIO, issued the following statement on the escalation of the war in Iraq: "The President's decision to escalate the war in Iraq is reckless and wrong. It's bad foreign policy and takes away the resources we need to solve problems here at home. This ill-conceived war of choice has cost the lives of more than 3,000 American soldiers and countless billions in U.S. treasure. We could have solved the American health care crisis for what this war has cost us. The time has long past to bring our troops home.”

President Bush has nudged support for the troop increase to 35%, with increased support from Republicans and people with higher incomes. Overall, however, 63% of Americans surveyed oppose the increase. A majority of people said the war was a hopeless cause, and they did not think more troops would stabilize Iraq, according to the AP-Ipsos poll released on February 16^th.

House Democrats, responding to the public's opposition to the war, pushed a nonbinding resolution that criticized Bush for the planned buildup. The resolution passed Friday, but Congressman John Boozman (R-AR3) was the only Arkansas Congressman to oppose it and vote in favor of Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq.

AFSCME Local 965 on Thursday, February 15th, adopted a Resolution opposing President Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq and supporting the M11 Demonstration for Peace set for March 11, 2007.