Moveon. org Letter: Fingers crossed
12/03/2007
"Americans don't want another disastrous war in Iran. Congress must act now and make it clear that President Bush has no authority to strike Iran."Dear MoveOn member,
If you're like us, you've been trying to block out the drumbeats of war coming from the Bush Administration. After all, Iraq is such a mess that it's hard to even imagine the disastrous results if they go through with their plans to attack Iran.1
But all signs point to the fact that they are reckless enough to do it, so it's time to do more than just cross our fingers and hope. We've got to act. And quick.
Congress can step in and block President Bush from launching a war without approval—there are bills on the table to do that today. But unless our representatives hear from Americans like us that this is a big priority, those bills are unlikely to move forward. Can you take a moment to urge your members of Congress to sign on today?
Will you sign the following petition?
"Americans don't want another disastrous war in Iran. Congress must act now and make it clear that President Bush has no authority to strike Iran."
Clicking here adds your name:
http://pol.moveon.org/noiranwar/o.pl?id=11740-8299453-9zg8PP&t=3
After you've signed, please pass the petition on to five friends. MoveOn members will hand-deliver the signatures to Congressional representatives later this month, and we need to be sure we have too many names to ignore.
Military and foreign policy experts are looking at options that could contain Iran's nuclear ambitions without stretching our military to the breaking point or risking World War III in the Middle East—options like economic sanctions, diplomacy and working with allies to stop this situation from spiraling out of control.
The consequences of a reckless war with Iran are so grave that a group of retired military officers wrote to the Administration earlier this year:
"As former US military leaders, we strongly caution against the use of military force against Iran. An attack on Iran would have disastrous consequences for security in the region, coalition forces in Iraq and would further exacerbate regional and global tensions. The current crisis must be resolved through diplomacy."2
Despite the warnings, Bush and his team have continued to escalate the tension with Iran. Last spring, Bush labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization—a title he believes clears the way for military strikes. And Vice President Cheney started urging Bush to send the military in as early as this summer.3
We've got to get our next steps right, or we'll be living through Iraq all over again. We know how that turned out. And our troops are the ones paying the price for Bush's misguided mission.
We can find a way to solve the stand-off with Iran—but not if this president screws up again. We need Congress to be clear that the President has no authority to go to war with Iran. Can you add your name to this important petition?
"Americans don't want another disastrous war in Iran. Congress must act now and make it clear that President Bush has no authority to strike Iran."
Clicking here adds your name:
http://pol.moveon.org/noiranwar/o.pl?id=11740-8299453-9zg8PP&t=4
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Marika, Jennifer, Adam G., and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Monday, December 3rd, 2007
Sources:
1. "Shifting Targets: The Administration's plan for Iran," The New Yorker, October 8, 2007.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3097&id=&t=4&id=11740-8299453-9zg8PP&t=5
2. "US ex-generals reject Iran strike," BBC News, February 4, 2007.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6328801.stm
3. "Cheney urging strikes on Iran," McClatchy News Service, August 9, 2007.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/18834.html
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