MichaelMoore.com

Several communities vote to bring U.S. troops home

(AP) -- Residents across Wisconsin sent a clear message to President Bush about Iraq on Tuesday — get out.

Milwaukee was among 10 communities across Wisconsin that voted on referendums asking whether the United States should pull troops from Iraq. The response was overwhelming.

With 86 percent of Milwaukee precincts reporting, there were 92,000 votes to bring home the troops, or 72 percent, compared to 35,839 voting no, or 28 percent.

People in the communities gathered signatures on petitions to place the issue on the ballot.

The referendums won’t change any policy because municipal governments can’t dictate the federal government’s actions.

In last April’s election, 24 of 32 communities with such measures voted to pull out the troops, including Madison, Shorewood and Whitefish Bay.

In Racine with 95 percent of the precincts reporting, “yes” votes held at 61 percent to 39 percent edge.

Middleton voted “yes” by a 59 percent to 40 percent margin, while in South Milwaukee, the final vote was 54 percent to 46 percent for the referendum.

Other races were much closer.

In Viroqua in Vernon County, the referendum passed by 52 percent, while in Springdale in Dane County it passed by four votes out of 944 ballots cast.

Also weighing in on the issue were voters in the Milwaukee suburbs of Fox Point and Wauwatosa.

Meanwhile, voters in Wisconsin Rapids and Pittsville in Wood County were voting on whether to call for an impeachment investigation of Bush and Vice President Cheney.

In Wisconsin Rapids, only 38 percent of voters agreed with the idea, while even less in Pittsville did — 32 percent.

In Ozaukee County, voters were asked whether they support the nation’s “war on terror” — including Iraq and Afghanistan — until “organized terrorism is eliminated.”

Voters there overwhelmingly favored the referendum, 67 percent to 33 percent with more than three-quarters of the votes counted.