A new group called Mandate for Peace has emerged in the wake of the 2006 elections. They say that the mid-term elections were a referendum on the war, and that the results showed that the voters said that they want peace. Many pro-war incumbents were voted out of office, and Mandate for Peace says that by making Iraq the central issue in the elections, "we have translated antiwar sentiment into political power and made ourselves a force to be reckoned with." The organization says that the next step is to make sure that the new Representatives implement the will of the people and get the troops out of Iraq.

Code Pink, Grandmothers for Peace, United for Peace, and others gathered outside of Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco office on November 9th to demand that she speak up for the antiwar majority and take immediate action to bring the troops home. Video and Photos: 1 | 2 Mandate for Peace has encouraged others to take similar actions, by contacting their representatives and telling them that they are expected in the first days of the new Congressional term, to pass legislation requiring the removal of US troops from Iraq. One tactic for making the lesson clear that is suggested is to hold a face-to-face meeting with the Congressperson, and to bring results of any polls that show the strength of antiwar sentiment in the local community, as well as detailed information from the National Priorities Project about the financial cost of the war to the area. Mandate for Peace says that if people urge everyone they know to contact Representatives with similar messages, the new Congress will be prevented from having a honeymoon.

United for Peace and Justice has called for a massive march on Washington, D.C., on Saturday, January 27th, to call on Congress to take immediate action to end the war. UFPJ is now also calling for local and regional antiwar actions on the weekend of the 4th anniversary of the war.

Mandate for Peace | National Priorities Project