In 2008, I was still suffering from Republican representation, so I volunteered for Jeff Merkley’s Senate campaign, helped oust goose-stepping Gordon Smith, and now enjoy 100% representation by progressive Democrats. Yesterday I received a form email from Jeff, with a petition to end the war in Afghanistan and request to spread it around. I am proud to do so.

Dear Tom,

Nearly ten years ago, America went to war in Afghanistan to destroy the safe havens of the terrorist organization that attacked us on September 11th and bring the perpetrators to justice. We succeeded.

Now it’s time to end that war.

In July, President Obama is scheduled to begin a troop withdrawal, but he hasn’t said whether that will be a token change, or a real change in policy. Join me, the Council for a Livable World, and thousands of your fellow citizens and tell the President that we want a significant troop withdrawal in July to start ending our war in Afghanistan.

We have accomplished our goals in Afghanistan. According to leading military experts, al Qaeda has fewer than 100 operatives there. And its leader, Osama Bin Laden, was killed just a few short weeks ago in a brave attack by dedicated American military personnel.

A prolonged, expensive nation-building undertaking in Afghanistan doesn’t make us safer. It is telling that Bin Laden was found in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. Terrorist groups are no longer bound to nations and neither should be our efforts to stop them.

I’m sending a letter from a group of Senators to the President to tell him that we think America can’t afford nation building in a place riddled with corruption, divided by ancient conflicts, and where the government isn’t a reliable partner. We’ve got plenty of nation building to do here at home.

If you agree, please visit LivableWorld.org to add your voice urging the President to begin bringing American troops home in July.

Our men and women in uniform bravely and skillfully undertake any mission we set out for them. They can and will keep after terrorists wherever they may be, but that doesn’t require us pouring American blood or hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars into Afghanistan indefinitely.

I have asked President Barack Obama to stick with a schedule that starts bringing our troops home this summer and ends our involvement in Afghanistan responsibly by 2014. I hope you will join me in this effort.

Ten years is more than long enough – let’s bring our troops home.

Thanks for your support,

Jeff Merkley