The scorecard you hold in your hand is a record of another historic year for US foreign policy debates. Front and center was the Iraq war. After years of timidity, Congress engaged repeatedly in the Iraq debate.
The year began with the new congressional leadership promoting an exit strategy for the war with some gusto -- pleasantly surprising some with a willingness to use the leverage of the purse-strings and working to place a timeline for withdrawal on the President’s desk. But as the year wore on, the President (along with his congressional allies) seemed to have end-the-war forces in Congress in the palm of his hand. With Congress stymied by a misguided interpretation of the “support the troops” mantra and cowed by the threat of a filibuster, a year that went in like a lion went out like a lamb.
With the Iraq war dominating congressional debates, this year’s scorecard highlights a series of Iraq votes. We track nine of the most important votes on the Iraq war in the Senate and six in the House. The very same war, along with the dissembling and bungling that got us there, cast a shadow over another pressing foreign policy issue: throughout 2007 Congress rode the same rollercoaster of rumors of war with Iran as the rest of the country. This scorecard tracks some of the efforts to tamp down the administration’s saber-rattling.
The year also featured some powerful victories for a more sensible foreign policy -- policies that can save lives. Congress blocked funding for new nuclear weapons and increased funding to lock up loose nuclear materials and destroy the stocks of firearms that fuel violence in conflict zones. Because these victories happened in the context of budget negotiations, they aren’t captured herein.
Five years after the beginning of the Iraq war, the United States desperately needs to make a fundamental change of course in foreign policy. Poll after poll shows that the people of this country want a foreign policy based on human rights, diplomacy, and international cooperation. Step one in getting a foreign policy of which we can be proud is to know how our representatives are voting today and letting them know how we feel about the choices they are making. With this scorecard you know the score. Step two is voicing your opinion about how your representatives are voting. On page 31 you can get more information about how to contact your representatives to thank them or offer criticism -- make a habit of it!
Ultimately, it’s an active and vocal public that will determine if the country makes the profound changes in US foreign policy we need. Thank you for being a part of that work -- please stay active. Peace does demand action and with all of us staying engaged we can make sure the country embarks on a new approach to relating with the rest of the world.
Thank you for all you do for a more peaceful world,
