The Pentagon will soon provide President Barack Obama with a set of recommendations for the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
We in Congress owe it to our troops to deliberate our policies earnestly and thoroughly.
We, as Americans, need to be clear that it is time to accelerate the transition in Afghanistan to full Afghan control. We need to bring our troops home as soon as safely and responsibly as it can be accomplished. The battle is "the longest and one of the most expensive wars in American history," as the New York Times said.
While NATO and Afghan National Security Forces have made considerable strides, no military strategy exists. Morale has been undermined by the proliferation of “Green on Blue” attacks. Sixty coalition soldiers have been killed this year alone by their Afghan allies.
This is one issue that overwhelmingly unifies Americans: the desire to bring the war in Afghanistan to an accelerated close. Polls show more than two-thirds of Americans, Republicans as well as Democrats, believe it is past time to end our combat role and bring the troops home.
Please stand with me and the more than 45 representatives who've stood up so far. Sign your name to our letter to President Obama now.
Update: Here are the co-signers so far: Blumenauer; Campbell; Chu; Cohen, Steve; Conyers; DeFazio; Ellison; Farr; Frank; Grijalva; Hahn; Hanabusa; Holt; Honda; Johnson, Eddie Bernice; Jones; Kucinich; Larsen, Rick; Lewis; Loebsack; Lujan; Markey; McGovern; Michaud; Murphy, Chris; Nadler; Norton; Olver; Quigley; Rangel; Richardson, Laura; Rush; Sarbanes; Schakowsky; Serrano; Sires; Slaughter; Smith, Adam; Stark; Thompson, Mike; Towns; Tsongas; Velazquez; Waters; Watt; Welch; Woolsey