Obama Calls for Missourans to Tell Representatives to Support Plan to Bring Troops Home from Iraq

KANSAS CITY, MO – At a community kickoff event in Kansas City Saturday, Democratic candidate for president Barack Obama urged Missourans to contact their representatives in Washington, DC and tell them to support a bipartisan plan to bring American troops home from Iraq. Last week, President Bush vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have provided funding for the troops along with a timeline for bringing them home from Iraq.

We need 16 Republican votes in the senate to override a veto - 16 Republicans to join us in supporting this bipartisan plan to bring our troops home,” Obama said in prepared remarks. “One of the Senators we need to persuade is right here in Missouri. He needs to hear from you and people across Missouri, who understand that it's time to change course. The only way we’ll ever bring this war to a close is by persuading my colleagues to sign onto this bill. This is how we're going to bring our troops home-by building a bipartisan coalition the President can't ignore.”

Obama, who spoke out in opposition to the Iraq war in 2002, said he was committed to building a bipartisan, grassroots effort to change course in Iraq, change Washington and bring our troops home from Iraq.

Earlier this week, 11 Republican Congressman told the President they were losing faith in the current Iraq plan, demonstrating that some in Washington are beginning to get the message that the American people are ready for real change. In the last week, Obama has challenged voters in Louisiana Virginia and Iowa to tell their representatives in Congress to override the veto and bring our troops home.