It has been five years since the President used the back drop of the United States military for near perfect propaganda purposes. Standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier underneath a banner that read "Mission Accomplished," the President achieved what will be historically seen as simultaneously the highest point of his presidency and the lowest point for that office. Now five years later, with universal understanding that the mission was not only never accomplished, but was never even defined, it's clear that this Administration was at best incompetent. All of us need to gather and recommit ourselves to ensuring that such an infinitely destructive power grab never be allowed to happen again. I hope that you will help us do just that.
The argument of who did what, when pales in comparison to the challenge facing our generation to undo what Bush has done. We will be judged by what we do to rebuild the American military, to rebuild America's place as a leader in the international community, and to rebuild an economy reeling under the weight of borrowing three trillion dollars to finance a war that the American people know is wrong.
Some have committed their efforts to calling for impeachment. Some have marched, appeared on television as subject experts, or written books outlining what is now know to be the true story about how we were duped into this folly. I choose to run for the United States Congress so that through my efforts and the efforts of many others, constitutional authority can be restored to the House of Representatives and its sister body in the Senate where the authority to wage war rests. Our government was designed this way to ensure that the will of the people prevail, and today, the will of the people has only elicited a Vice Presidential "so?" Had I been successful in 2006, I would have voted to end this war. Now, in 2008, I have again stood up and recommitted myself with even greater determination. Now, the entire tide of change is behind our efforts. As more anniversaries of "Mission Accomplished" pass, let us all remember that the real nightmare facing us is a McCain presidency without a stronger majority in the House of Representatives. Senator McCain has to date promised only a continuance of the Bush policies in Iraq and each and every day we are reminded what a total failure this has been.
We now rest at the tipping point of economic disaster, due largely to the drain on our currency. We borrowed $3 trillion to fund this war without any call for sacrifice from the general public. Now, the houses of cards is beginning to fall. The price of oil, driven in large part by the falling value of the dollar, is the most recent in a series of assaults on the economic future of the middle class in America. As the Bush policy of devaluing the dollar to lower the impact of the international war debt takes hold, all Americans will be called upon to sacrifice. We must work around the clock to ensure that all Americans understand the direct link between what this president has done to us, and why.
As we reflect on the sad anniversary of "Mission Accomplished", I hope that you will join with me and my team to ensure that a new and determined voice will be heard in the House of Representatives. A voice that calls for a new direction in Iraq, the implementation of the Responsible Plan, and the need to hold those who did this to us fully accountable.
Eric Massa
Commander US Navy (ret.)
Congressional Candidate, NY-29
