A surge for peace?

As President Bush scrambles to find support for a "surge" of troops in Iraq, the efforts of Iraq war opponents are gaining steam.

First up is the March on Washington to End the War next weekend, Jan. 27-29. Here in North Carolina, buses to the march are selling out as fast as organizers can rent them. United for Peace and Justice and other groups behind the mobilization are aiming to have at least one person from each of the 435 congressional districts represented, who can be part of a grassroots lobby day on Capitol Hill.

But one doesn't have to go to Washington to be heard. This week, the Progressive States Network, in a bold move, announced a campaign to mobilize state legislators against the war. On a conference call Wednesday (listen to the audio here), Steve Doherty of Progressive States (former minority leader of the Montana Senate), Rep. Garnet Coleman of Texas, and Sen. Nan Grogan Orrock of Georgia spoke of the interest they'd heard from their constituents, and the need for state leaders to speak out.

If you'd like to get your state leaders on board, visit here.

And what's happening in Congress? The House is arguing over the language of a resolution declaring that an Iraq surge is "not in the national interest of the United States."

The Senate unveiled a similar, non-binding resolution on Wednesday, and refused to suggest they would withhold funding for the plan, which prompted this response from former Sen. John Edwards, as quoted in the Orlando Sentinel:

"Why don't we go stand in the corner and stomp our feet like an 8-year-old?"