From KELO:
Former South Dakota Senator George McGovern is hopeful that his message of an early withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq is sinking in with members of Congress. McGovern, the former presidential candidate who campaigned against the Vietnam War, is back home following his meeting with U.S. House members in Washington.
McGovern met yesterday with about two-dozen members of the "Congressional Progressive Caucus." With more than sixty-members, it's the single-largest caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. The group is largely Democrat, like McGovern, himself. But McGovern says he wasn't simply preaching to the choir regarding his stance on Iraq.
George McGovern returned home from his trip to Washington confident that more members of Congress are buying into his early exit strategy for Iraq. "I thought it went very well. They realize that there has to be a change in our policy in Iraq."
McGovern favors a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq by next June. That early deadline drew questions from the Congressional members who met with McGovern. "Some of them asked what if when we pull out, Iraq just goes into chaos, we said they're in chaos now!"
McGovern says members from both parties want a change in Iraq. "I talked to some Republicans who are more than anxious to support a move to terminate our involvement there."
It won't be long before McGovern is back at the airport for another flight to Washington. He's been invited to speak again to members of Congress about his proposals. He'll return in January, hopeful that in the meantime lawmakers will give serious consideration to Iraq policy. "I think there will be all kinds of discussions in committee on the senate and house floors, in their homes, that's all anybody seems to be talking about when we were there."
McGovern's meeting was going on at the same time as the election for the leadership positions in the U.S. House. McGovern says members kept filing in and out of the meeting to in order to cast their votes.
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