Kucinich plans to force vote on US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Kucinich plans to force vote on US withdrawal from Afghanistan

For congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s announcement Tuesday that his country would need the US’s military support for another 10 or 15 years seems to have been the last straw.

The outspoken House representative says it was Karzai’s statement that prompted him to draft a resolution calling for a House vote on the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"We shouldn’t be there another 15 to 20 months, let alone 15 to 20 years," Kucinich told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "When I’m in my district talking to people, nobody has come up to me and said we need to be in Afghanistan for the next 15 to 20 years. They do say we need jobs, we need to protect our basic industry, we need education, we need to protect retirement security. I’d like to see us start taking care of things here at home."

Kucinich is circulating a letter (PDF) among congressional colleagues asking them to co-sponsor his resolution.