06/05/07 Protest Hits Kagen's Vote To Fund Iraq War

Protest Hits Kagen's Vote To Fund Iraq War

The Capital Times
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Samara Kalk Derby The Capital Times

Seven war protesters set up shop Monday evening in front of the Madison Club to call attention to freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Steve Kagen's vote in support of continuing the war in Iraq.

Kagen was inside at a fundraiser hosted by fellow U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison.

Protesters handed out slips of paper in the form of a check that asked, "Congressman Kagen: WHY?" The checks were made out to George W. Bush for $95 billion and 00/100 cents.

"For war in Iraq" was on the memo line.

"A few weeks ago he voted to continue to fund the war," said Joy First, who organized the protest.

"The best way to stop the war right now is to end the funding," said First, of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance. "There is a myth that we continue the funding to support the troops. That's not true. We can leave them there to kill and die or we can bring them home."

Kagen, an Appleton doctor and Democratic political novice, defeated John Gard, the former Republican leader of the state Assembly, in the race to represent the 8th Congressional District.

"The vote a week ago Thursday was not about ending the war, because we don't have enough votes in the House or the Senate to bring an end to our involvement in the religious civil war in Iraq," Kagen said, explaining his vote May 24 to provide the president with $95 billion to continue funding the war in Iraq.

"The vote was about securing the equipment necessary to protect our troops against an incompetent president and his failed policies," Kagen said.

Unlike earlier bills in Congress, the bill Kagen voted for did not include a timetable for troop withdrawal.

Kagen joined with 194 House Republicans and 86 Democrats in voting for it.

By a nearly two-to-one margin, House Democrats - including Wisconsin representatives Baldwin, Gwen Moore and Dave Obey - rejected the bill.

Kagen pointed out that he was with Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., who originally supported the war and later became one of its most vocal opponents, and the 65,000 military veterans in his district "who understand what it means to be forward deployed and in harm's way," he said.

"Simply put: We've done our job, we've removed Saddam (Hussein). It's time to bring our military home," Kagen said.

The protesters were invited in to speak with Kagen, but he was unable to convince them of his point of view.

"He gave us the tired old cliche, the tired old myth, that he had the vote that way in order to support the troops. ... We couldn't buy it. We couldn't accept it," First said.

For his part, Kagen said he's on record as opposing the war by voting three times to bring U.S. involvement in Iraq to an end.

"There's only one person who can end this war today - President Bush. Because we don't have the votes to bring it to an end," Kagen said.

"This fall, the Democratically controlled Congress intends to put the cost of our involvement in Iraq into the budget and in so doing, convince 60 to 70 Republicans to join us in turning away from Iraq and back after al-Qaida."

Steve Burns of the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice said it was important to demonstrate outside the fundraiser so people who were coming in to make contributions would have the proper information before writing Kagen a check.

Burns presented Kagen with a "certificate of military ownership of the war" designed by Military Families Speak Out and Veterans For Peace. It read: "In dubious recognition of your vote to continue funding the war in Iraq" and "You bought it, you own it."

The war continues because Congress continues to fund it, Burns said.

"It's not good enough for someone like Kagen to say, 'I'm against the war' and then vote for money to continue the war."

E-mail: skalk@madison.com