Sacramento Coalition to End the War

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Contact: Cres Vellucci, Vets for Peace, 916/996-9170

ATTN: News Desk

Rep. Matsui's call for end to Iraq war
rings hollow, charges veteran organization;
Vet cites Matsui's refusal to sign peace declaration

SACRAMENTO – Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Sacramento, CA5) on Tuesday issued a
statement calling for a "responsible" end to the war in Iraq – but the
words ring hollow to U.S. troops in Iraq, said a spokesperson for a
veterans organization here.

"We are about to mark another Veterans' Day on Nov. 11, but Rep. Matsui
still cannot bring herself to call for an immediate withdrawal of our
troops from Iraq, without qualifiers," said Cres Vellucci, of Veterans for
Peace, Chapter 87 (Sacramento).

"She states that 2007 was the deadliest year of the war, but she needs to
do more than play politics with the lives of our fallen comrades and the
hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead," said Vellucci, noting that Matsui may
have supported some legislation to bring the war to an end, but she knows
those efforts will fail because of a lack of will by Congress.

The Vietnam veteran said that if Rep. Matsui really wants to "do right by
the troops," as she claims, then she will support ending the war by voting
to end the funding, supporting bills for an "immediate" withdrawal of
troops and encouraging all other Democrats to do the same.

"The one true way to end the war – which Rep. Matsui refuses to embrace –
is to end the funding for it. That is veto proof, and it will end the war.
She also refuses to sign the ‘Congressional Declaration of Peace,' won't
back measures calling for an immediate end to the war and won't meet with
Veterans for Peace to discuss why she should do so," said Vellucci.

"When Rep. Matsui calls for an end to the war but uses phrases like
‘responsible redeployment' and ‘responsible end,' coupled with her decision
to not promise to vote against funding the war, it is politics as usual for
a Congress, and the Congressperson, who say one thing and yet do another,
while more people die," added Vellucci.
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