Planes Circling

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/23330

Planes Circling
Submitted by davidswanson on Tue, 2007-06-05 18:13. Media

By Greg Sargent on Pres '08

The Republican candidates are being forced to adjust to debating each other in the presence of an unwelcome guest: Planes circling overhead carrying banners with messages battering them over Iraq.

At tonight's debate, two planes will be circling above bearing the following message: REPUBLICAN IRAQ PLAN: 50 YEARS IN IRAQ. The planes are being provided by the antiwar group Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, which just announced the plans this morning. The banners, of course, refer to President Bush's recent assertion that he'd like to see a long-term troop presence in Iraq similar to that in South Korea.

At the last GOP debate, AAEI sent planes bearing messages blaring: "Mission Accomplished?" We'll see if these planes keep showing up at GOP debates for the next year and a half. If so, that's a lot of plane fuel.

_____

_____

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq
http://www.NoIraqEscalation.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Alex Howe, 202.271.7997

Tuesday, June 5, 2007 Moira Mack 202.261.2383,

Emma Mackinnon, 202.822.5200

**AAEI Air Assault Continues Over GOP Debate**

“Republican Iraq Plan: 50 Years in Iraq” Airplane Banner to Circle NH Debate

Candidates Urged to Oppose President’s Long-Term Iraq Occupation Strategy

Manchester, NH—A plane with an American flag and the headline: REPUBLICAN IRAQ PLAN: 50 YEARS IN IRAQ will circle the airspace over tonight’s GOP Presidential debate at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics. The plane will be airborne from 5:00pm-8:00pm; the Republican Presidential Debate begins at 7:00pm.

Granite Staters will also participate in an Americans Against Escalation in Iraq rally held by NH Peace Action and American Friends Service Committee. Protesters urging an end to the war in Iraq will hold signs from 4-6pm today at the main entrance to the Saint Anselm campus, where the debate is being held.

“President Bush's vision of fifty more years of war in Iraq is completely out of touch -- even coming from a man who declared ‘Mission Accomplished’ four years ago,” said Tara McGuinness, deputy campaign manager of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. “Republican candidates for president need to make it clear tonight whether they stand with the American public or with the President's endless war,” concluded McGuinness.

According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, “Almost six in 10 Americans said they do not think the additional troops sent to Iraq since the beginning of the year will help restore civil order there, and 53 percent -- a new high in Post-ABC News polls -- said they do not believe that the war has contributed to the long-term security of the United States.”

May 2007 was the third worst month for U.S. casualties in Iraq, with 122 servicemen killed. The President and his administration have recently voiced support for a long-term occupation strategy in Iraq, similar to situation in South Korea.

AAEI hired two planes to circle the first GOP Presidential Debate in Los Angeles with banners that read: “Republicans, Mission Accomplished?” and “McCain, Mission Accomplished?” A mobile billboard bearing similar messages circled the second GOP Debate in South Carolina.

WHAT: Airplane with “Republican Iraq Plan: 50 Years in Iraq” banner to circle NH GOP Debate

WHERE: Airspace above New Hampshire Institute of Politics

WHEN: Tuesday, June 5, 2007, 5:00-8:00pm

REPUBLICAN IRAQ PLAN: 50 YEARS IN IRAQ