Just Foreign Policy

Campaigns

• Nominate Paul Krugman for Treasury Secretary

  Press reports say President Obama will soon nominate a new Treasury Secretary . Press speculation has centered on candidates likely to support the Wall Street agenda of cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits and other domestic spending rather than government policies to create jobs. We want President Obama to nominate Nobel prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, who opposes austerity and wants the government to focus on creating jobs.

  240,238 of 300,000 Signatures

  Created by Danny Glover
• Senate: No Backdoor to Iran War

  Senator Lindsey Graham and AIPAC are pushing a Senate bill (S.Res.65) that would endorse an Israeli attack on Iran and say that the U.S. should support such an attack militarily and diplomatically. This policy would allow the Israeli government to decide by itself to drag the U.S. into a new war. The bill also attacks President Obama's policy of saying that the U.S. goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, claiming falsely that the U.S. goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon "capability," a vague "red line" that could be used to justify war anytime. President Obama is pursuing diplomacy with Iran, and should be encouraged to intensify diplomatic efforts. He should not be pressed to intensify military threats. Senators should not support Graham and AIPAC's attack on President Obama. More info: Americans for Peace Now has come out against the bill: Americans for Peace Now: Don't Co-Sponsor AIPAC's Bills for Iran War http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/americans-for-peace-now-d_b_2818046.html The New York Times has come out against the bill: Congress Gets in the Way http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/09/opinion/congress-gets-in-the-way-on-iran.html

  16,334 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Don't let Larry Summers head the Fed

  The Washington Post says that right now, Larry Summers is the front-runner for chair of the Federal Reserve, one of the most powerful economic policymaking positions in the country. But as noted progressive economist Dean Baker says, "Picking Larry Summers for Fed chair would be exactly the wrong message to send at the moment. Summers is one of the main architects of the policies that have given us the worst downturn since the Great Depression. It would be an especially bad signal to send when there is an outstanding pick already at the Fed serving as Vice-Chair, Janet Yellen." References: Reuters, "Opposition mounts to Summers as possible Fed chief," http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/26/usa-fed-summers-idUSL1N0FV0T820130726 (mentions this petition) Bloomberg, "Senate Democrats Ready Letter Urging Yellen as Fed Chief," http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-26/senate-democrats-ready-letter-urging-yellen-as-fed-chief.html Dean Baker, "The Return of Larry Summers?" http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/the-return-of-larry-summers Felix Salmon, "Don’t send Summers to the Fed," http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2013/07/24/dont-send-summers-to-the-fed/ Scott Sumner, "Larry Summers is unqualified to be Fed chair," http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=22379 Bill McBride, "Janet Yellen for Fed Chair" http://www.calculatedriskblog.com/2013/07/janet-yellen-for-fed-chair.html Ezra Klein, "The subtle, sexist whispering campaign against Janet Yellen" http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/19/the-subtle-sexist-w hispering-campaign-against-janet-yellen/ Dean Baker, "Democracy Versus Bankers at the Fed" http://www.cepr.net/index.php/op-eds-&-columns/op-eds-&-columns/democracy-versus-bankers-at-the-fed William Greider, "Stop Larry Summers Before He Messes Up Again" http://www.thenation.com/blog/175372/stop-larry-summers-he-messes-again David Dayen, "Larry Summers will destroy the economy (again)" http://www.salon.com/2013/07/24/sexist_larry_summers_will_destroy_the_economy/singleton/ Yves Smith, "Why Larry Summers Should Not Be Permitted to Run Anything More Important than a Dog Pound" http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2013/07/why-larry-summers-should-not-be-permitted-to-run-anything-more-important-than-a-dog-pound.html William Greider, "No More Second Chances for Larry Summers" http://www.thenation.com/blog/175420/no-more-second-chances-larry-summers Noam Scheiber, "Wait, Larry Summers Is Now the Favorite for the Fed? Can we at least talk it over first?" http://www.newrepublic.com/article/114009/larry-summers-fed-chairman-over-janet-yellen Mike Konczal,,"Should Obama pick Larry Summers to head the Fed?" http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/should-obama-pick-summers-to-head-the-fed-94765.html

  22,421 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Fix Espionage Act to Protect Whistleblowers & Journalists

  Government employees who share information with journalists in the public interest should never face charges of "aiding the enemy" under the Espionage Act of 1917. Urge Congress to fix the law so it can't be used to intimidate whistle-blowers and journalists with the charge of "aiding the enemy."

  16,153 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• President Obama: Don't Strike Syria Without Congressional Approval

  On Sunday, August 25, Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Rep. Eliot Engel - a Democrat who voted for the Iraq war - told Fox News that President Obama should strike Syria first and get Congressional approval afterwards. That's not how the U.S. Constitution says it should go. That's not how the War Powers Resolution says it should go. The Constitution and the War Powers Resolution say that absent an attack on the United States, Congress must approve military action before it takes place. According to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, 60 percent of Americans surveyed said the U.S. should not intervene in Syria's sectarian civil war, while just 9 percent thought President Obama should act. Even if Assad's forces used chemical weapons to attack civilians - an allegation which has not been proved, and didn't hold up in the past - only 25 percent of Americans would support U.S. intervention, while 46 percent would oppose it. On July 24, the House approved an amendment by voice vote that would prohibit funding of any military action that violates the War Powers Resolution. If President Obama can get us into war in Syria without Congressional approval, it will set a terrible precedent: a future president can get us into war in Iran without Congressional approval. Tell President Obama not to take any military action in Syria without Congressional approval, and tell Congress to stand up for the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. Links for the above information can be found here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/08/26/1233940/-President-Obama-Don-t-Strike-Syria-Without-Congressional-Approval

  37,949 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Congress: Vote NO on the Syria AUMF

  It's a historic victory that President Obama has agreed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force in Syria. But despite the President's promise that he only intends to conduct "limited strikes," the AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) he sent to the Hill is a blank check for war. It isn't geographically limited to Syria--this president or a future president could use it to strike Iran. It doesn't prohibit the use of U.S. ground troops. It isn't limited in duration. If this AUMF passes, it is likely to remain; the Iraq AUMF has never been repealed. If you oppose a U.S. military strike on Syria, sign the petition. And even if you support only limited strikes, sign the petition, because the Syria AUMF isn't a mandate for limited strikes--it's a blank check for war. [Update 9/4: the authorization introduced by Menendez last night partially addresses three issues: it is time-limited, it is limited to Syria, it speaks against ground troops. However, the time limit is 2-3 months, not 2-3 days as promised earlier, and it only prohibits ground troops in Syria "for the purpose of combat," We've seen in Iraq and Afghanistan that "training" includes U.S. troops embedded in foreign combat forces. The Menendez bill authorizes a longer and broader war - "degrading" Syrian military forces and arming and training Syrian rebels, thus intervening in Syria's civil war to try to change the balance of military forces, despite earlier claims - than the 2-3 days of cruise missile strikes that were marketed to the public.]

  24,540 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Drop bogus charges on human rights defender Berta Cáceres

  Amnesty International has called on authorities in Honduras to drop spurious charges against three indigenous leaders, Bertha (Berta) Cáceres, Tomás Gómez and Aureliano Molina. If the three leaders are imprisoned, Amnesty said it will consider them prisoners of conscience. There have been increasing attacks against human rights defenders in the country ahead of presidential elections in November, Amnesty said. “Defending human rights in Honduras has become a life-threatening activity with Indigenous leaders protecting their peoples’ rights, being particularly vulnerable to attack,” said Nancy Tapias Torrado, Researcher on Human Rights Defenders in the Americas at Amnesty International. “It is clear that Bertha Cáceres is being harassed in order to stop her from defending the rights of the Lenca Indigenous Peoples,” said Nancy Tapias Torrado. Urge President Obama and Congress to use U.S. influence to press the Honduran government to drop the spurious charges. Reference: Honduran Indigenous leaders at risk of unfair imprisonment http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/honduras-indigenous-leaders-2013-09-19

  13,026 of 15,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Don't Cut Social Security to Feed Lockheed's Profits

  Members of Congress - including leading Democrats - are talking about a budget deal that would cut Social Security and Medicare benefits while protecting the Pentagon budget from planned cuts. Sen. Dick Durbin, the second most powerful Democrat in the Senate, recently told Fox News Sunday he would support cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits as part of a "grand bargain" with Republicans. On CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Mark Warner - one of the Democrats picked to negotiate with Paul Ryan on the budget - said: "We all know at the end of the day...Democrats are going to have to give on entitlement reform." The "grand bargain" these Democrats are talking about would cut Social Security and Medicare benefits to pay for bloated Pentagon spending, like Lockheed Martin's boondoggle $1.5 trillion F-35 warplane. $1.5 trillion represents more money than the entire savings over the next ten years from all current plans to cut federal discretionary spending - both Pentagon spending and domestic spending. And that's just one unneeded weapons system. Over the last several months, the Washington Post and other media have reported on the extraordinary perks that the Pentagon makes available to senior military commanders at taxpayer expense. These include paid military personnel and DOD civilians to cut grass, chauffeur, schedule events, and to perform other personal aide duties. They also include extraordinarily lavish housing and entitlement to tender and/or accept offers for post-retirement employment with Pentagon contractors and lobbying and investment firms, even if those firms handle the very same issues that the senior officer oversaw at taxpayers' expense. Asking citizens to watch their federally funded benefits shrink so we can pay for these personal perks for generals and admirals is not only offensive but also drives a deeper wedge between civilian society and uniformed military leadership. Tell Congress and the President not to cut our earned Social Security and Medicare benefits in order to protect the obscene profits of Lockheed Martin and the lavish lifestyles of the pampered generals.

  33,197 of 35,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Help Lee & McGovern End the War in Afghanistan

  The Obama Administration is trying to get an agreement with the government of Afghanistan that would keep thousands of U.S. troops there after 2014, constantly exposed to mortal danger. No U.S. commitment to keep thousands of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan beyond 2014 should be allowed without prior Congressional debate and authorization, consistent with the Congressional role in making decisions about war envisioned by the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution. Congress didn’t allow the Administration to bomb Syria without Congressional authorization; Congress shouldn’t allow the Administration to keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan without Congressional authorization. Urge President Obama to go to Congress for explicit approval before making any commitment to keep thousands of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, and urge Congress to insist on a Congressional debate and vote before any such commitment takes place.

  24,255 of 25,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman
• Senator Collins: Who’s Getting Killed by Drone Strikes?

  The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (commonly known as the Senate intelligence committee) has passed legislation that would require the Administration to publicly report how many civilians and how many “combatants” are being killed in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia by U.S. drone strikes. When the committee passed this legislation, Maine Senator Susan Collins voted no. In order for the Senate to pass this legislation, it’s crucial for Senator Collins to change her position. The CIA has claimed that civilian casualties from U.S. drone strikes have been extremely rare. The record of independent reporting says otherwise. But because the CIA has never publicly stated on the record how many civilians it believes are being killed by U.S. drone strikes, the CIA has never been forced to defend its claims on the record. If the intelligence committee provision becomes law, the CIA would have to defend its claims about civilian deaths on the record, and we could have a meaningful democratic debate. Urge Senator Collins to reverse her opposition to telling the public about civilian deaths from U.S. drone strikes.

  18,463 of 20,000 Signatures

  Created by Robert Naiman