RK= Rob Kall
DK= Dennis Kucinich
RK:I'm running a piece on what things would look like if congress refused to fund the war any further.
DK: THis is the way the war can end. The leadership of the house goes to the president and tells the president, "we're not going to provide the funds for the war anymore." That he has to use the money he has in the defense budget to bring the troops and the equipment home. Thatwould cost about $5-10 billion and the money is there to do that now.
Concurrent with that has to be the creation of an internation security and peacekeeping force that would move in as our troops leave. That's what would have to happen. That's the plan that I'm promoting.
RK: What kind of the support do you have for it?
DK: Nationally, tremendous support for it, but in the congress, congress is temporizing on the issue of the war. There is no majority will being expressed here. The leadership has refused to challenge the president directly. Instead, what they're saying is that they don't have the votes to end the war, when in fact, you don't need the votes to end the war. There's an approach being taken that I really disagree with.
RK: DO you have an support in the house, for this?
DK: I think there are probably a couple of dozen members who would generally agree with what I'm saying.
But the leadership has made it very clear that they are not going to cut off funds. They made it clear that they are not going to tell the president that they are not going to fund it. They are going to keep funding it and keep funding it under the notion that notion-- under the fatal notion that this is the way to support the troops.
RK: Usually, in congress you work to put together a bill and pass it. Is there a mechanism, is there a way for you and those couple dozen to organize against further legislation? It's not like you go into committee.
DK: What has to be done has to be done by the leaders. The leaders have to go to the president and tell him, "We're not going to give any more money." It's the leadership that schedules the bill.
RK: THe fact is, if Nancy Pelosi or Harry decided not to let the motion come to the floor, either one of them, all by themselves, could stop this dead in its tracks, couldn't they?
DK:The leadership of either the house of the senate, if either leadership determined, we're not going to let a bill come to the floor of the house or senate, the war would be stopped. They'd have to, essentially, force the presiden't hand on the war.
That's what they have to do. They have to take a stand and they haven't done that yet.
t's exactly what they have to do.
RK: How can our readers help?
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