FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Carl Davidson – CAWI
(312) 415-2499; carld717 (at) aol.com

Marilyn Katz or Wick Swanton – MK Communications
(312) 822-0505; wswanton (at) mkcpr.com


CAWI Calls on Immediate Troop Withdrawal
in the Wake of the Iraq Study Group Report

'Out Now' is Only Viable Iraq Strategy
to End Violence, Protect Troops


CHICAGO (December 7, 2006) – As the Iraq Study Group released their report spelling out the failed military policies in Iraq, Chicagoans Against War and Injustice (CAWI) is calling on the antiwar majority to raise their voices, to increase grassroots pressure, and to assert that the best new Iraq policy is 'Out Now.'

‘The ‘end game’ is a dangerous time,’ said Carl Davidson, CAWI Co-Chair. ‘While the election, as a referendum on the war, was a victory for us, the current calls for ‘national unity’ with the architects of this unjust war can, if the wrong steps are taken, make matters much worse.'

If only half-solutions, half-truths and half-answers are continually presented, conditions in Iraq, and the safety of U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians alike, will continue to grow more treacherous. Limiting the number of troops in the war-torn nation will only make those remaining easier targets, leading to more potential hostage situations and violence.

CAWI stresses that the antiwar movement in Chicago, and across the nation, which began as the minority four years ago, has become the clear-sighted majority and the time to bring troops home is now.

‘Clinging to the delusion of ‘victory’ down the road is not an option,’ Davidson added. ‘Bluntly, there’s only smaller defeat now or bigger defeat later.' The Iraq Study Group’ Report essentially makes the case for this conclusion, although, for its own reasons, it doesn’t clearly say so. The 'cut and run' demagogy is off the table, and the ‘Out Now’ stand is more important than ever. The politicians and generals can work out the modalities, but the only practical position, for the grassroots here, for both Iraqi citizens and our soldiers, is immediately beginning a rapid and complete withdrawal of troops.'

CAWI does not accept the belief that chaos will inevitably be the end result of troop withdrawal from Iraq. Among the many pro-war theories, none is more promoted, yet more filled with holes. 'Those are all theories,' Davidson said, 'but it’s a fact that our ongoing presence is causing added chaos and suffering to the region. True self-determination is the best and most practical option.'

CAWI, founded in September 2002, is currently lobbying Congress and plans to take part in a Jan 27, 2007 March on Washington, DC. CAWI helped get an antiwar resolution passed in the Chicago City Council both before the war and in the summer of 2005 and worked to add a resolution to the November 7th ballot calling on the 'orderly and rapid withdrawal of US troops' a measure that passed by a resounding 81-19 percent vote overall in Chicago.

For more information on CAWI and their efforts to bring a final close to the conflict in Iraq, please log on to www.noiraqwar-chicago.org.

# # #