Author: Eric Garris

Today Congress passed a resolution (HR 951) condemning Palestinian rocket attacks that include a strident defense of recent Israeli tactics in the Gaza Strip. The resolution also condemned Iran and Syria for “sponsoring terror attacks,” and demanded that Saudi Arabia publicly condemn Palestinian actions.

The resolution was originally introduced in January, but contains new language including a passage saying that that “those responsible for launching rocket attacks against Israel routinely embed their production facilities and launch sites amongst the Palestinian civilian population, utilizing them as human shields” and “the inadvertent inflicting of civilian casualties as a result of defensive military operations aimed at military targets, while deeply regrettable, is not at all morally equivalent to the deliberate targeting of civilian populations as practiced by Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist groups.”

Although 23 Congressman abstained or voted “present,” only one bravely voted no: Rep. Ron Paul.

Dennis Kucinich is far ahead in his bid to win re-nomination to his Congressional seat in Cleveland.

He is currently getting 53% in a five-way race, with his nearest opponent getting 31%. Kucinich will have a Republican opponent, but he has not received less than 60% in the general election in the past decade.

Associated Press has declared Ron Paul the winner for reelection to Congress from his Houston-area district.

The votes are still being counted, but Ron Paul is currently winning with 70% of the vote. Paul faces no Democratic opponent in November, so he will be reelected.

Jim Lobe notes that former Amb. Marc Ginsberg now appears to have resigned from the FDD board of advisers, and expands on his previous posts about the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s defections:

As Donna Brazile blamed the “influence of their funders” on FDD’s increasingly “radical right-wing” orientation, it might be helpful to list those individuals and institutions that, according to publicly available tax records, have contributed $100,000 or more — sometimes much more — to the group from 2002 through 2005.

Check out the list over at LobeLog.com.

Polls released yesterday and today show that Antiwar congressmen Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are well ahead in their reelection campaigns. Both polls were conducted by Public Policy Polling.

Ron Paul leads his only GOP opponent, Chris Peden, 63-30%. He has no Democratic Party opponent.

Dennis Kucinich leads his Democratic opponents with 55%, over 29% for Joe Cimperman. Three other candidates register 5% or lower.

The national Libertarian Party (LP) organization has taken their strongest position in favor of withdrawal from Iraq. At their national committee meeting yesterday in Las Vegas, the following resolution passed overwhelmingly.

WHEREAS the government of the United States should return to its historical libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, foreign quarrels, and military adventures and;
WHEREAS the armed forces of the United States have invaded Iraq, a foreign nation that neither directly attacked nor imminently threatened to attack the United States and;
WHEREAS the injustice and imprudence of this invasion cannot be undone by the continued presence of the armed forces of the United States in Iraq and;
WHEREAS the stability and security of Iraq lie outside the jurisdiction of the government of the United States;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Libertarian Party National Committee calls on the government of the United States to withdraw the armed forces of the United States without undue delay.

Former GOP Congressman Bob Barr, now a member of the LP national committee, strongly supported the resolution. Barr is essentially a “born-again libertarian” who has reversed his statist positions. He now strongly supports ending the US occupation of Iraq and opposes further adventurism in Iran and elsewhere. He now works as a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union and the Marijuana Policy Project.

Barr is rumored to be considering a Libertarian Party run for President this November. The LP nominating convention will be held in late May.

UPDATE: Bob Barr issued this statement following the passage of the resolution:

“Given the lack of action by both the Democrats and Republicans to find a swift and safe conclusion to American adventurism in Iraq, it is imperative that the Libertarian Party stand resolute in its calls for ending the war without undue delay. The Libertarian Party refuses to back down on this paramount issue, even if we are the only Party standing up for the safety of our troops, the respect of our nation, and the stability of our economy. If President Bush wants this war, then he needs to go through Congress, as the Constitution requires the president to do. The lives of our troops and the wealth of our nation need protection from the adventurous whims of single individuals. Our current course of foreign policy jeopardizes the future of this great nation, and as long as the Libertarian Party has a voice, we will continue to fight to bring our men and women in uniform home as quickly and as safely as possible.”