Brings Letter from 150 Leading Activists Opposing Obama if he Continues War
What: Press Event
Where: In front of the White House
When: 12 noon, Tuesday, January 25th
On Tuesday, January 25, the day of President Obama’s State of the Union address, CODEPINK Women for Peace will deliver an oversized report card to the White House that assesses the President’s job performance.
“We wanted to give Obama good grades, but in all honesty we couldn’t,” says CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin. “Since coming to office, he has escalated the war in Afghanistan, authorized more drone attacks in Pakistan that have killed more civilians, kept Guantanamo open, supported Israeli war crimes and raided the homes of peace activists. And in a time of budget cutting and economic hardship, he has actually increased military spending. Sorry, but that just doesn’t make the grade.”
The group will also deiiver a petition signed by over 150 prominent activists, authors, and academics with a statement that begins:
"We the undersigned share with nearly two-thirds of our fellow Americans the conviction that our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq should be ended and that overall military spending should be dramatically reduced. This has been our position for years and will continue to be, and we take it seriously. We vow not to support President Barack Obama for renomination for another term in office, and to actively seek to impede his war policies unless and until he reverses them."
Among the signers are Elliott Adams, president, Veterans For Peace; Medea Benjamin, cofounder, Code Pink; Daniel Ellsberg, former State and Defense Dept. official, whistleblower of Pentagon Papers; Chris Hedges, author, Death of the Liberal Class; Bill Quigley from the Center for Constitutional Rights; and Rabbi Michael Lerner, Network of Spiritual Progressives.