US politicians condemn Afghanistan war

Democratic Congress members spoke out on Wednesday during a debate on a resolution from Ohio representative Dennis Kucinich calling for the withdrawal of all US troops from the war-weary country by the end of the year.

The outcome of the vote, 356-65 against the resolution, was never in doubt - but the three-and-a-half-hour debate gave those who oppose President Barack Obama's war policies a platform to vent their concerns.

Five Republicans joined 60 Democrats in supporting the measure to force a troop withdrawal.

Some 189 Democrats and 167 Republicans were opposed.

Congress authorised the use of military force to fight terrorists in 2001, following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Mr Kucinich said that both the Bush and Obama administrations had wrongfully used that authority as carte blanche to circumvent Congress when sending US troops to war.

"Unless this Congress acts to claim its constitutional responsibility, we will stay in Afghanistan for a very, very long time at great cost to our troops and to our national priorities," Mr Kucinich warned.

Among the yes voters was Democratic representative Patrick Kennedy, who blasted the Obama administration's "shameful" policy of "needlessly sending troops into harm's way."

Democratic Florida representative Alan Grayson branded the Afghanistan war an unconstitutional "foreign occupation."

And libertarian Republican representative Ron Paul said: "The country is totally bankrupt and we are spending trillions of dollars on these useless wars.

"History shows all empires end because they expand too far and bankrupt the country," Mr Paul warned.