Green Party leaders respond to President Bush's State of the Union address and to the Democratic Party's rebuttalGreen Party of the United States Thursday, January 25, 2007 Contacts: Nan Garrett, co-chair of the Georgia Green Party, co-chair of the National Women's Caucus of the
Green Party: "President Bush opened his State of the Union address with a plea for bipartisanship. Bipartisan blind faith in the White House's
dishonest justifications for invading Iraq resulted in more than 3,000 U.S. troop deaths,
hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians, and worldwide anger against the U.S.
Bipartisanship too often means a conspiracy between two corporate political parties against
the partisan interests of the American people, and it's one of the best arguments for multiparty
democracy. Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA.), in his Democratic rebuttal to Mr. Bush, was right when
he recalled the Robber Baron Era -- but he failed to note that both Democrats and Republicans have
placed themselves on the side of the robber barons, stealing from the middle class and poor
people for the benefit of corporate interests. The Green Party now represents
majority opinion on the Iraq war and on health coverage, according to polls." Ron Hardy, co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party (which initiated and campaigned for a 'Bring the
Troops Home initiative,' resulting in 34 out of 42 municipalities voting for U.S. troop
withdrawal): "President Bush said that Americans 'didn't vote for failure' in Iraq -- but failure
is inevitable in a war of aggression that was justified by lies, and which weakened U.S.
security by inflaming anger against us in Iraq, in the Middle East, and around the world. The
only way to support our troops is to bring them home now. The Green Party demands immediate
withdrawal of U.S. forces, we demand that Congress stop funding for all U.S. military
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we demand an end to military threats against Iran, and we
demand a cutoff of aid to Israel until Israel ends its illegal and murderous occupation of
Palestinian lands and violations of human rights." Sylvia Inwood, chair of the Green Party of Michigan: "The Green Party has shown political
leadership in opposing President Bush's disastrous foreign policies, while Democrats
acquiesced to the Bush agenda. Green candidates and party leaders spoke out against the war from
the very beginning, while Democrats fell over themselves supporting the invasion.
Democrats like Hillary Clinton -- who a year ago recommended sending 80,000 more U.S. troops to
Iraq -- only turned against the Iraq war when it became a political liability, and most Democrats
still base their opposition solely on the Bush Administration's strategic mistakes. The
invasion itself was a crime and an abuse of power, regardless of military strategy.
Only impeachment will restore the rule of law, but even Democrats like Rep. John Conyers [Mich.],
after compiling evidence of impeachable crimes, have retreated from holding President Bush and
Vice President Cheney accountable." http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_03.shtml Rebecca Rotzler, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States and Deputy Mayor of New Paltz, New York (which recently passed a resolution in favor of impeachment): "The only winners in the Iraq war are U.S. oil companies, arms manufacturers, and military contractors like Halliburton and Blackwater. Oil companies like Exxon Mobil, Texaco, Chevron, and BP stand to make billions thanks to a proposed law giving them lucrative 30-year contracts allowing access to Iraqi oil. The billions of dollars these corporations have made and stand to make from the U.S. invasion of Iraq prove that this was 'blood for oil' all along. President Bush's proposal to send 21,000 more troops is part of a plan to keep U.S. forces in Iraq for the long haul, to protect American corporate investments and maintain political control in the region." http://www.gp.org/press/pr_2007_01_10.shtml Starlene Rankin, Lavender Green Caucus delegate to the Green Party's national committee: "The
greatest obstacle to health care is the backroom deal between the Democrats and Republicans to
maintain control by private HMO and insurance companies over our health coverage. Despite
President Bush's State of the Union promises, proposals like Medical Savings
Accounts will not help uninsured low-income Americans who lack coverage, and would even penalize working people
who do enjoy good coverage. But most Democrats, offering only modest alternatives and reforms
that leave private HMOs and insurance firms in charge, are refusing to consider single-payer
national health insurance, despite polls and recent government figures
<http://www.citizenshealthcare.gov/recommendations/finalrecs.php>
showing that a majority of Americans would welcome such a program. The Green Party strongly
supports single-payer, and our state and local candidates have made state-based single-payer
plans a top priority in their campaigns." Liz Arnone, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States: "We agree with President Bush that
the U.S. must drastically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but this is only part of the
greater crisis of energy consumption. Our first priority should be conservation -- diminishing
our energy use -- as all of our consumption options have consequences for our
sustained survival on earth. We should implement policies such as carbon taxes, increased public
transportation, zero emission regulations for cars, reorganization of economic policies and
land use to discourage car traffic, and other innovative, ecologically sound solutions." Jim Coplen, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States: "President Bush never mentioned
New Orleans and Sen. Webb only named it in passing, but the federal response to the
devastation caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita remain the greatest evidence of the Bush
Administration's indifference to Americans without power and wealth. The disaster
continues. Middle- and low-income residents of New Orleans are being systematically compelled,
through economic pressure and eviction, to give up their homes to big developers. The first
priority after the storms should have been helping residents return to their homes, or at
least to their own neighborhoods. It's not too late to prevent an old city with a complex,
unique culture from being replaced by a theme park. We challenge Congress and the White House
to stand up for the rights of the people of New Orleans." MORE INFORMATION Green Party of the United States
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