Dick Durbin Archives - Just Foreign Policy

Senate: Don’t Imitate “Catch-22.” Don’t Arm People We’re Bombing in Yemen

April 24, 2017

General Mattis wants to increase U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s catastrophic war in Yemen, which has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine, including by selling Saudi Arabia even more weapons. In addition to producing humanitarian catastrophe, Saudi Arabia’s war is helping Al Qaeda in Yemen. Imitating war profiteer Milo Minderbender in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22,…

Action Alerts

Join Murphy, Paul, Durbin & Franken: Block Selling Arms to Saudis to Kill Civilians

April 10, 2017

Saudi Arabia’s war and blockade have pushed Yemen to the brink of famine. But the Trump Administration wants to sell Saudi Arabia even more weapons. Under U.S. law, weapons exports are supposed to be conditioned on requirements that civilians be protected from their use. Unfortunately, Congressional “oversight” of U.S. weapons exports has often been virtually…

Action Alerts

TODAY: Press Dick Durbin to talk about famine at Illinois Wesleyan

March 24, 2017

At 5:30 PM today, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is having a Town Hall Meeting at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Please call Dick Durbin’s office in Springfield now at 217-492-4062. When you reach a staffer or leave a message, you can say something like: “I urge Senator Durbin in his speech at Illinois Wesleyan to…

Action Alerts

TODAY: Help me press Durbin, Duckworth in Chicago on Saudi-Yemen war powers

February 7, 2017

President Trump has already “increased logistical support” for the Saudi bombing of Houthis in Yemen. Trump Administration officials are threatening to conduct drone strikes against the Houthis. But Congress never authorized this war. Under the War Powers Resolution, a single Member of Congress could force a debate and vote on what Trump is doing. Unfortunately,…

Commentary

How Bernie Sanders Can Kill the 1%’s TPP Trade Deal

June 9, 2015

The DC press says it’s getting down to the wire on a possible vote in the House on fast track to substantially pre-approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other pending trade deals, with a vote possible as early as Thursday. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, who was a close second in a recent straw poll of Wisconsin Democrats, has called…

Commentary

This Week, Senate Democrats Can Limit the ISIS War

December 9, 2014

At long last, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote this week on an authorization for the use of force for the war against ISIS that started in early August. There is little doubt that a majority of the committee supports the use of force against ISIS. What will be revealed this week…

Commentary

After OBL: McGovern/Jones Push for Real Withdrawal Plan

May 6, 2011

Following the killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the floodgates opened in Washington this week for reconsideration of U.S. plans to continue the open-ended war in Afghanistan. Now Representatives Jim McGovern and Walter Jones have introduced the "Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act," bipartisan legislation that would require the President present to Congress a timetable…

Commentary

The War is Over. Kiss a Nurse and Start Packing

May 2, 2011

We got our man. Wave the flag, kiss a nurse, and start packing the equipment. It’s time to plan to bring all our boys and girls home from Afghanistan. When the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks rolls around, let the world see that we are on a clear path to bringing home our…

Commentary

Barbara Boxer: Champion in the Senate Against the Afghanistan War

April 21, 2011

If you’ve ever spent quality time trying to move an agenda through Congress, you know that moving an agenda isn’t just about lobbying individual Members. You need a "champion" for your issue. The champion introduces your bill. The champion recruits other offices to sign up. The champion introduces an amendment that carries the same idea…

Commentary

Daniel Ellsberg: “I Am WikiLeaks!”

December 13, 2010

Since E.D. Hirsch failed in his noble jihad to enforce Cultural Literacy, I can’t assume readers are familiar with the scene in Annie Hall in which Woody Allen stops a movie line bloviator from pontificating about Marshall McLuhan by producing the actual Marshall McLuhan from behind a movie poster to tell the pontificator off. So…

Tag: Dick Durbin