Missoula Votes U.S. Out of Iraq

The Higgins Bridge was cold, quiet and, well, peaceful Tuesday night, its weekly anti-war rally done for the night by the time the news came in: Missoulians voted almost 2-to-1 in favor of telling the U.S. Congress that it's time to bring the troops home from Iraq.

"The vote itself is the expression of the will of the people," said Missoula City Councilman Bob Jaffe, who sponsored the referendum. It will be up to interested groups to pass the message on further, he said.

When all the ballots were counted, 65 percent of the voters favored the referendum intended to urge Congress to "authorize and fund an immediate and orderly withdrawal of the United States military from Iraq in a manner that is fully protective of U.S. soldiers."

"I was optimistic the referendum would pass, Missoula is a pretty liberal town," said Sean Gibbons, president of Students for Peace and Justice.

With their vote, Missoulians joined about 300 other communities across the nation in opposing the war through such a non-binding resolutions.

The next step, Gibbons said, is for a letter to be drafted and sent to the Montana Legislature, the state's U.S. senators and the White House.

The issue has divided the Missoula City Council since June when Mayor John Engen cast the tie-breaking vote to put it on the ballot. Groups such as the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center and Forward Montana staged events leading up to Tuesday's election to increase voter registration and raise awareness of the issue.

"It's about getting our voices heard," Gibbons said.

- By WILL FREIHOFER