Kucinich Intends to Force Afghanistan Withdrawal Issue Next Week

President Obama may be focused on jobs and righting the economy. But Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) and 11 members of the so-called "Out of Afghanistan" Caucus are trained on American military intervention overseas.

Kucinich intends to introduce a privileged resolution in the House that if adopted would require the U.S. to withdraw from Afghanistan by a certain date. Kucinich and other House liberals are concerned about the continued U.S. effort in Afghanistan and worry that it is an open-ended commitment.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter to fellow House members, Kucinich notes that Congress "must reassert our Constitutional preogative as it relates to war."

Kucinich says that the U.S. has "absolutely nothing to show" for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan except a $1 trillion price tag.

"Privileged Resolutions" skip to the front of the legislative line and must be considered immediately by the House or within two days. It's unclear if Kucinich has sought the blessing of the Democratic leadership on this issue. But he can still introduce the resolution. The parliamentarian can rule that his resolution is not "eligible" to be privileged.

Regardless, it's likely that the House Democratic leadership team would move to table or kill Kucinich's resoluton.