In the midterm elections, voters let themselves be heard and ordered a change in government, giving Democrats the opportunity to serve the nation and to provide the leadership that's been missing these past six years in Washington.

With this opportunity comes great responsibility, and we must take the challenges ahead seriously, soberly and with clarity of purpose -- on issues like health care, the economy, education, and most of all, Iraq and national security.

America is looking for leadership right away, and the new Congress should immediately push forward a strong agenda to fix our national security policy.

I urge you to email President Bush and your Members of Congress today in support of my 3-point plan to address the crisis in Iraq and refocus our national security efforts. With your help, we'll focus efforts in Washington on leading us towards change.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

In the midterm elections, voters let themselves be heard and ordered a change in our country's national security efforts.

As part of this change, I urge President Bush and the new Congress to support General Wesley Clark's 3-point plan to fix our national security policy:

1. Change the course in Iraq. We must listen to the Generals on the ground and the whole range of experts, work with regional powers, promote gradual transformation and stability, and regain the 'strategic consent' for the long-term U.S. influence in the region. We must use the situation in Iraq to propel us toward this larger goal, and in doing so, we will also find the right way to wind down our deployment there.

2. Rebuild alliances to address the real national security threats. We must bring our allies into the reconstruction of Iraq to ensure shared responsibility for the ongoing stability of Iraq itself and the region as a whole. We must provide real oversight on government contracts in Iraq; we cannot continue to allow no-bid contracts to Halliburton. And by bringing our allies together, we can finish the job in Afghanistan, and more effectively hunt down Osama Bin Laden and contain Iran and North Korea.

3. Address energy independence and global warming as national security issues. We must put a policy in place to lead us to energy independence and away from the volatile and conflict-ridden regions where, today, the "geostrategic risk premium" is adding billions of dollars to the costs imposed on the American people. Our reliance on oil also impacts global climate change. As I have stated before, global warming has serious national security risks: stretching our military resources to deal with catastrophes (like Katrina) and increasing the potential for conflicts due to the displacement of people, competition for scarce resources, and adverse effects on agriculture.

Thank you for your consideration. The American people have spoken loud and clear, and I hope that you exert you leadership to help us change the course.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
November 16, 2006