Wisconsin Green Party glad to see Presidential veto of Iraq spending billWisconsin Green Party May 2, 2007 Contacts: WISCONSIN -- Today the Wisconsin Green Party noted that the President's veto of the Iraq spending bill was in line with the party's advocacy for cutting off funding for the U.S. occupation of Iraq. "Bush's Veto will do what the Democrats should have done in the first place - block funding for the continued occupation of Iraq." said Ron Hardy, Co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party. "We call upon all our Congressional Representatives to vote no on any further funding of the Iraq War." The Wisconsin Green Party has opposed the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq since before its inception, and has repeatedly called for the immediate withdrawal of Wisconsin's National Guard from Iraq. The Green Party of the United States, of which the Wisconsin Green Party is an affiliate, has called for immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq, and no further funding for the war, except for those funds necessary to withdraw all troops. "The discussion about what to do in Iraq is usually limited to two choices - the abandonment of Iraq, or the continued U.S. occupation," said Ruth Weill, Co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party. "Greens have long promoted a better alternative - that Muslim and Arab forces from neighboring countries in the Middle East provide security for Iraqis while they determine their own future. U.S. involvement in Iraq has little to do with democracy in Iraq or the well-being of Iraqis." An Iraqi law passed in early 2007 which allows "production-sharing agreements (PSAs)" granting Western companies 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi oil, has been vetted by the U.S. government, U.S. oil companies, and the International Monetary Fund. "Indefinite occupation is clearly a part of the White House plan, since the presence of U.S. troops will be necessary for years to come to make it profitable for companies like Exxon, Mobil, Shell, and Chevron to exploit Iraq's oil reserves," said Mike Miles, who challenged Democratic Congressman Dave Obey, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, in last November's election. "The PSAs permit the oil companies to bleed 75% of the profits from Iraqi oil without requiring them to reinvest money in Iraq itself. Before the U.S. invasion, Iraq's oil reserves were nationally owned. The deal reinforces the sentiment of most Iraqis that control over Iraqi oil was behind the invasion all along." (Monthly Review, December 2006, < http://www.monthlyreview.org/nfte1206.htm) "The administration said Iraqi oil would pay for the war and rebuilding, but instead the Iraqi people's oil and U.S. citizens' taxes have fueled huge profits for corporations, with little oversight or accountability," said Weill. "Greens believe the U.S. has an obligation to help rebuild the destruction resulting from the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but that support should be administered by Iraqis, not by corporations." Green Party leaders warned that President Bush's plan to send 20,000 more U.S. troops to Iraq will lead to an expanded civil war, more civilian and troop casualties, and a prolonged occupation. Greens have repeatedly called for impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for high crimes and misdemeanors in relation to the war and numerous violations of the U.S. Constitution, and are calling on Congress to prevent President Bush from launching a military assault on Iran. For more information, visit
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