On the morning of Monday, September 17, members of CODEPINK from Springfield visited the Washington D.C. offices of Senators Kit Bond and Claire McCaskill with letters from their constituents demanding that they stop funding the occupation of Iraq.

As dozens, if not hundreds, of St. Louisans head down to Jena, Louisiana today to support the Jena 6, and anti-war protestors settle into the third day of their week-long 24-hour protest outside the St. Louis office of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill, PubDef.net reporter Gabe Bullard asks the following question:

Why are today’s college students so much less likely to engage in protest than their parents’ generation?

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The Instead of War Coalition, a St. Louis based peace organization, is holding a 24-hour week-long rally called the “Days of Decision” Watch outside the St. Louis office of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill.

Following appearances today by General David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, and Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad, before the House Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill issued the following statement:

“When President Bush asked the American people in January to support a new way forward, he said this surge was going to be about giving the Iraqi people a chance to stabilize. He set forth himself in that speech in January nine benchmarks that he said he would hold the Iraqi government accountable for.

“Unfortunately, so far, we have not heard enough about why these benchmark aren’t being met, and why is it that we have been able to sacrifice as a country now on the ground for longer than our troops fought in World War II, why is it that the Iraq government cannot take meaningful steps towards securing their own country and living with each other.

“I think there is some good news in what General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker have said today – the fact that they acknowledge that drawing down troops is the right way to go.

“But unfortunately, I don’t think there has been enough conversation yet about something other than the two extremes. I don’t think any of us in Washington want an expeditious drawdown of all our troops in Iraq. And on the other hand, I don’t think most people in American want us to continue to stand in the middle of a civil war. I think there is something in between. I will look forward in the hearing tomorrow, I will look forward to questioning General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, as I know many other senators will, about what would be in between.

“I think the logical thing is to change the mission, to change our mission from securing Iraq and providing stability to that nation to what we really should be doing which is fighting terrorism. We should be fighting terrorism in Iraq with our troops on the ground, but at a much lower level than we have now. And we should be refocusing our troops in other areas of the world where terrorism continues to be a problem, and in fact is growing because we are bogged down in Iraq. There is a better way than what we are doing now.

“I think that General Petraeus – although I think he is an honorable man, and I think both he and Ambassador Crocker are giving their best judgment – they own this strategy on behalf of the commander-in-chief, and they are obligated to defend it. I think there has to be somewhere in between the president’s stubborn opinion that nothing should change and the position of some on the left who believe everything has to change tomorrow. We’ve got to find that middle ground. It’s important to the American people, it’s important to the men and women risking their lives.”

Via ShowMeProgress.com:

State Representatives Jeanette Mott Oxford (whose birthday is today, according to the Arch City Chronicle) and Jamilah Nasheed recently appeared on a “A Nation Deceived,” a podcast dedicated to discussing the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Listen to the entire show right here…

This year, Nasheed sponsored, and Oxford co-sponsored, HCR 46 calling for Congress to impeach Bush and Cheney. The resolution never got a hearing.

In Congress, St. Louis Congressman Lacy Clay is a co-sponsor of House Resolution 333, calling for the impeachment of the Vice President. Last year, Clay was one of 33 Democrats to co-sponsor a resolution seeking to investigate grounds for impeaching President Bush.

If more people weren’t dying everyday, this might be funny.

And locally, did Senator Claire McCaskill forget her mandate when she and other Democrats joined with Republicans to authorize more funds for the Iraq War?

Open Thread

The U.S. Congress tonight passed a $122 billion emergency supplemental appropriation to continue funding the war in Iraq at least through September. St. Louis Congressmen Lacy Clay and Russ Carnahan voted against the measure, which passed the Democratic-controlled House by a vote of 280-142.

The following statement comes from Rep. Clay:

“I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a supplemental appropriation that provides $97.8 billion more for President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq.

This bill imposes no real deadlines and lacks any credible thresholds of accountability for either the President or the Iraqi government.

It does nothing to move this tragic and unnecessary war towards a swift and responsible conclusion, which is what the American people expect us to do.

Very soon, Congress will revisit this critical situation. And I pray that we will finally have the courage to face the realities on the ground, let the Iraqis decide their own country’s future, and bring our brave troops home.”

In the Senate, Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican Kit Bond were among the 80 votes in favor of the funding. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin also voted for it, while his colleague and Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, voted against.

Obama’s leading competitor in the Senate, Hillary Clinton, also voted no.

How Missouri’s Delegation Voted:

Lacy Clay (D-1st) - NO
Todd Akin (R-2nd) - YES
Russ Carnahan (D-3rd) - NO
Ike Skelton (D-4th) - YES
Emanuel Cleaver (D-5th) - NO
Sam Graves (R-6th) - YES
Roy Blunt (R-7th) - YES
Jo Ann Emerson (R-8th) - Did not vote
Kenny Hulshof (R-9th) - YES

Kit Bond (R) - YES
Claire McCaskill (D) - YES

Click here for the Senate roll call vote.
Click here for the House roll call vote.