Sept. 16, 2005 – Chicago’s city leaders Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on the "United States government to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States military personnel from Iraq." In doing so, the city joined hundreds of others cities, including Washington, DC and San Francisco in opposing the war.
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The City Council reportedly passed the resolution by 29-9 vote, citing the end of the failed search for "weapons of mass destruction" that the Bush administration had used as the main rationale for invading Iraq. Councilors also pointed to the steadily growing human and financial costs of the war as reasons to withdraw.
Acknowledging the ongoing difficulties Iraq faces, the resolution also calls on the federal government to "provide the people of Iraq with all necessary non-military material aid as shall be necessary for the security of Iraq's citizens and for the rebuilding of Iraq."
Prior to the war, the council cast a similar vote in opposition to the imminent invasion of Iraq.
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City Council resolutions such as the one passed in Chicago carry no legal weight and are largely viewed as symbolic. Still, peace activists have been claiming the various municipal votes as signs of a growing opposition to the ongoing occupation in Iraq.
