Washington, DC (March 27, 2007) – The National Commander of The American Legion criticized an amendment narrowly passed by the U.S. Senate that would add a timeline of withdrawal to an Iraq spending bill.

“You don’t have to be a military strategist to understand the advantage a withdrawal date gives to the enemy,” Paul A. Morin said. “First the House passed a blueprint for disaster and now the Senate passes a recipe for surrender.”

Morin called on the president to honor his promise to veto legislation that includes timetables to withdraw from Iraq. “The American Legion supports the troops. You cannot support the troops if you want them to cut and run. Congress authorized Operation Iraqi Freedom, now it needs to let the troops finish the job.”

Morin pointed out that Congress cut off funding in Vietnam, even though the troops won every military battle. “Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. The American people need to support the troops and their commander in chief, even if Congress won’t.”

The Senate voted 50-48 for the provision containing the withdraw requirement, which was supported by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV. Reid did not seem willing to compromise with the White House, saying that he is “not anxious to strip anything out of the bill.”

Morin added that the United States has only one commander in chief. “The American people did not elect 535 legislators to be armchair generals. It is outrageous that Congress would leave our troops on the battlefield without the funding that they need. It’s time for the president to veto this surrender bill and for Congress to pass a serious war-funding bill, which would provide the money without the micro-management. I call on my fellow Legionnaires to let their senators and representatives know where we stand on this war.”

Washington, DC (March 23, 2007) - The National Commander of The American Legion voiced his organization's strong opposition to the modified FY 2007 Defense Emergency Supplemental Appropriations request which barely passed the House of Representatives today.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again, this is a blueprint for disaster,” Paul A. Morin said. “We strongly object to tying timelines for withdrawal to much needed funding for our troops on the battlefield. This binding piece of legislation passed in the House today is a road map to failure. It also just sent a clear message that emboldens our enemies.”

The bill approved by the House of Representatives today includes two sets of restrictions, one of which ties the hands of battlefield commanders regarding the deployment of troops.

The defense appropriations subcommittee chairman, who is responsible for the deployment restrictions, said he is just trying to make the services follow their own guidance. However, the deployment limits could endanger lives by either preventing units from being deployed or by having some units leave Iraq when they are still needed.

The bill also includes a timetable for withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. A phased withdrawal could begin as early as July 1st and would start no later than March 1, 2008, under the bill.

“Putting timelines on military operations is the equivalent to issuing battlefield strategies from the House floor for our troops fighting the good fight against terrorism,” Morin explained. “Our enemies are not stupid. They know that their chance for victory depends on public opinion in opposition of the war.

“Members of Congress should not be armchair generals,” Morin reiterated. “They need to understand that our deployed service members depend on this emergency funding to sustain and achieve their military missions. The American Legion cannot support the $124 billion supplemental appropriations bill, even though the money is critically needed by troops, as long as it contains provisions that we believe micromanage the war.

“This ‘slow bleed’ process has begun thanks to just 218 votes,” Morin said. “Nobody hates war more than the warrior, and nobody wants our troops home more than The American Legion family. Nobody wants to take care of our troops and their families more than we do, but mixing politics, pork barrel spending, and foreign policy is extremely dangerous.”

This legislative request was to be focused on the immediate needs of our troops on the ground and their military leaders, not pork projects like the $74 million for peanut storage costs.

“We’re talking about war and the safety of our troops, not peanut butter,” Morin said.

Commander Morin strongly urges the Senate to reject this extremely flawed philosophy of timelines, restricting troop movement authority of battlefield commanders, and the superfluous spending.

The American Legion is supportive of many of the other provisions contained in the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, but it strongly believes the president’s initial request is not the vehicle for these issues, especially the specific language that sets congressional deadlines and mandatory troop movements.

Morin warned lawmakers: “This legislation sends two clear messages to the insurgents: cooperate and America will leave in August 2008 or increase your terrorist activities and America will ‘cut and run’ earlier. Two hundred and eighteen ‘yeas’ shows us the House does not have the votes to override the president’s veto, so let’s stop playing scrimmage and send a clean bill to the president.”

Founded in 1919, the 2.7 million-member American Legion is the nation’s preeminent service organization for veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including active duty, National Guard and Reserves, and their families. A powerful voice for veterans in Washington, The American Legion drafted the original GI Bill and was instrumental in establishing the agency that today is the Federal Department of Veterans Affairs.

Legion Provides Transition Staff To Walter Reed Hospital

Mortar Rounds Rock Media Event in Baghdad

Iraq (CNN) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon ducked in surprise when an explosion rattled Baghdad's Green Zone on Thursday as he was delivering a televised news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Two mortar rounds were fired at the Green Zone, an Interior Ministry official said. The Associated Press reported that small chips of debris fell from the ceiling.

The explosion startled Ban, who swiftly regained his composure as the briefing continued. "A mortar landed and went off 100 meters away in an open field outside the compound where the press conference was being held," said U.N. spokeswoman Marie Okabe. "The press conference continued. They don't know where it came from.

Okabe said Ban was "fine" and would continue as scheduled on the rest of his Middle East visit.
Ban arrived in the Iraqi capital Thursday morning on an unannounced visit, his first to the war-torn country since taking office in January. He called his meeting with al-Maliki "very good" and praised the prime minister's "strong leadership" and said he was considering increasing the U.N.'s presence in Iraq as the situation in the country improved.

"The United Nations has been actively participating and helping Iraqi people through various means -- humanitarian, economic, and political facilitation," said Ban. "However, recently, United Nations activities have been somewhat constrained, largely because of the situation on the ground." Ban's visit came as U.S. officials said they had detained two brothers, one with ties to radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in connection with the killings of five American soldiers in Karbala in January.

CALL TO ACTION!

The American Legion Riders have been asked to honor our servicemen and women who have been severely injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2007 Face of America Bike Ride. This ride offers the unique opportunity for The American Legion Riders to ride side by side with these heroes and personally encourage them and let them know that they can still be active athletes and still be a part of the TEAM.
We should not forget them.

REGISTRATION: if you would like to ride, volunteer, or be a sponsor please Click Here

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 09, 2007 - The National Commander of The American Legion, Paul A. Morin, today pledged his support to former Senate majority leader Bob Dole and Donna E. Shalala, former secretary of health and human services, as they lead a bipartisan commission that President Bush charged to investigate problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and throughout the military’s health care system.

“The American Legion stands ready to provide this committee any assistance we can,” said Morin. “Providing service to our wounded soldiers as they make the transition from military to the veteran health care is something that we have been doing for 88 years.”

Earlier this week Dole was quoted by the New York Daily News asking, “I wonder where all the service organizations were?”

In response, Morin sent a letter to Dole clarifying that The American Legion has not only been there for the nation’s soldiers and veterans since 1919, but remains at the forefront today with programs designed to assist and improve the quality of life of America’s servicemen and women.

“I believe he asked that question without realizing the extent of the services being provided by VSOs across the Nation,” Morin said. “The American Legion continues to visit all Dept. of Veterans Affairs medical facilities to monitor the quality of health care and Legion posts across the country are working with our office at the Dept. of Defense Severely Injured Servicemembers Center to directly assist their transition back to civilian life at home.”

On Tuesday, Morin signed an historic MOU with Walter Reed Army Medical Center, establishing an American Legion transition office to assist wounded servicemembers in cutting through the red tape that now hinders a truly seamless transition between DoD and VA. This will be the first time The American Legion has a presence at a DoD Military Treatment Facility (MTF). While access to DoD facilities has been extremely limited in the past, this historic new partnership agreement with Walter Reed will allow The American Legion to more directly assist wounded servicemembers with their transition from DoD to the VA health care system.