IMPEACH BUSH

NEW YORK After the U.S. Senate today easily passed a resolution, with 72 votes, condemning actions by MoveOn.org after its recent "General Betrayus" full-page ad in The New York Times, the activist group has hit back.

In an email to members this afternoon, group leaders declared, "Every day, our brave men and women are dying in a bloody civil war this Senate has done nothing to stop. Yesterday, they couldn't even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying. But they're spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?

"So, we're making clear where America stands. We're releasing a statement from MoveOn members—and anyone else who feels the same way—saying, 'We will not be quiet, will fight back. We will keep speaking out until Congress forces an exit plan for this awful war.'" It asked members to follow a link to endorse it.

MoveOn charges that the blowback on the ad is "part of a larger campaign by Fox, the right-wing echo chamber...And it has one purpose: to intimidate all of us. To send a message that anyone who speaks unpleasant truths about this war will pay. To make everyone—especially politicians—think twice before they accuse the administration of lying."

It adds that the resolution, which was backed by many Democrats (but not Sen. Hillary Clinton, with Sen. Barack Obama not voting) "absurdly" claims that MoveOn impugns the honor and integrity of all the members of the United States Armed Force "despite the fact that MoveOn includes hundreds of thousands of veterans and military family members, who've led our campaign to bring our troops home."

President Bush also condemned the group and the ad in a press conference today.