MoveOn hopes to pressure Dem candidates on Iraq

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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/moveon-hopes-to-pressure-dem-candidates-on-iraq-2007-12-10.html

MoveOn hopes to pressure Dem candidates on Iraq
By Klaus Marre | Posted 12/10/07 12:57 PM
December 10, 2007


Liberal group MoveOn.org is seeking this week to pressure the Senate Democrats running for president to oppose and block a war spending bill that does not include a plan for withdrawal from Iraq.

Not satisfied with reports that a massive omnibus spending bill currently in the works will include some funding for the wars but no commitment to bring soldiers home, the group wants to get the Democratic candidates to stop the effort.

MoveOn plans to deliver petitions with the signatures of 15,000 veterans and military families to the congressional offices of Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), Barack Obama (Ill.), Joseph Biden (Del.) and Chris Dodd (Conn.) on Monday.

“The senators who are running for president have talked a lot about their leadership on Iraq — now is the time for them to show it by blocking this bad deal,” said MoveOn Executive Director Eli Pariser.

MoveOn wants the senators to lead a filibuster of legislation that does not include a timetable for troop withdrawal. The group’s initiative puts the Democratic senators in a bind. On the one hand, they will not want to upset the liberal base, but on the other, especially with an eye toward the general election, they will likely be hesitant to be seen as blocking funds for troops in the war zones.