Global Peace and Security
On September 14th, 2001 Barbara Lee cast the lone vote against giving George Bush an unchecked authority to wage an undefined war against an undefined enemy for an unspecified period of time, an authority this administration has invoked in going into Iraq, in the establishment of military tribunals, even in conducting warrantless surveillance of Americans.
Six years later, it is clear that President Bush's failed policy of preemptive war is making our country – and the world – less safe with every day that goes by, and nowhere is that clearer than in Iraq.
While the current situation in Iraq is the most visible foreign policy failure that we currently face, it is only a symptom of an underlying foreign policy sickness. Instead of impulsively forcing military solutions on every foreign policy problem we encounter, we need to reorient America towards fostering global peace and security by strengthening diplomacy, increasing international development aid and addressing the root causes of terrorism and instability.
Barbara has consistently fought to change our country's course towards one that is more effective and more consistent with our values. She opposed the invasion of Iraq, and when Congress voted to authorize the invasion, she offered an amendment that would have allowed the UN weapons inspectors to finish their job and prove what she believed at the time and what the world now knows – that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
As the Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out-of-Iraq Caucus, Barbara has led the fight in Congress to end the Bush administration's failed policy in Iraq and disavow the doctrine of preemptive war. In July 2006, the House passed her legislation banning funds for permanent military bases in Iraq or exercising control over Iraqi oil.
The "Lee Amendment" – for fully funding the safe and timely withdrawal of U.S. forces and contractors from Iraq – is to date the only proposal that has been made that uses Congress' constitutional "power of the purse" to end the administration's failed policy in Iraq.
Barbara has consistently led the fight in Congress for a foreign policy rooted in progressive values, first on the International Relations Committee, and now on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations. Recognizing that foreign policy involves more than just military actions, she has authored or coauthored every major piece of legislation dealing with the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. She has led efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, traveling three times to the region and getting arrested in front of the Sudanese embassy in Washington, DC to bring attention to their role in the conflict.
Barbara believes that ending the Bush administration's failed policy in Iraq is the first step in restoring our nation's credibility in the world and getting back on the path of a foreign policy framework that truly fosters global peace and security. But the reorientation of our country's foreign policy will involve more than just ending our engagement in Iraq, which is why One Voice PAC will continue to advocate for strengthened diplomacy, increased development aid, and policies that address the root causes of terrorism rather than just the symptoms.
