Dear Republican,

Last week, I wrote to you about the Democrat 'slow bleed' strategy for Iraq. Proposed by John Murtha, 'slow bleed' would do exactly what it sounds like: gradually take away the resources our men and women need to fight the terrorists in Iraq. It would limit reinforcements, and possibly even close the bases that offer support and shelter for our troops. The Democrats had hoped to keep the 'slow bleed' plan under the radar by adding it onto other bills, but now even the liberal press are reporting on the story.

A Washington Post editorial last Saturday described the Murtha 'slow bleed' plan as "crudely hamstringing the ability of military commanders to deploy troops" and went on to say this: "Mr. Murtha's cynicism is matched by an alarming ignorance about conditions in Iraq. He continues to insist that Iraq 'would be more stable with us out of there,' in spite of the consensus of U.S. intelligence agencies that early withdrawal would produce 'massive civilian casualties.' He says he wants to force the administration to 'bulldoze' the Abu Ghraib prison, even though it was emptied of prisoners and turned over to the Iraqi government last year. He wants to 'get our troops out of the Green Zone' because 'they are living in Saddam Hussein's palace'; could he be unaware that the zone's primary occupants are the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy? It would be nice to believe that Mr. Murtha does not r epresent the mainstream of the Democratic Party or the thinking of its leadership. Yet when asked about Mr. Murtha's remarks Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) offered her support."

Even the liberal columnist E.J. Dionne criticized the Murtha 'slow bleed' plan, saying that "the sense that the proposal has been crafted in part for reasons of political convenience and the intricate restrictions it would place on the military are precisely what could doom it."

Those are exactly the reasons 'slow bleed' should be doomed, and we need your help to do it:

Write a letter to your editor or call in to talk radio today condemning the Democrat 'slow bleed' strategy.
And then call your Congressman or Senator and tell them not to support a plan that would leave our brave men and women in harm's way without adequate resources to protect themselves.
The Murtha 'slow bleed' strategy is a dishonest and dangerous response to the challenges we face in Iraq. Together, we can and we must stop Congress from passing the Murtha plan.

Sincerely,

Mike Duncan
Chairman, Republican National Committee