|
||
Stop the Insanity: No War With Iran
It is a tragedy that in the midst of one failed war in Iraq, George Bush and Dick Cheney are pushing a second front of failure and gearing up to attack Iran. The "unilateral sanctions" recently imposed will hurt diplomatic progress in the region, and I find it disconcerting that so many Democrats supported President Bush in his saber-rattling.
Senator Clinton voted to enable George Bush when she voted for the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment. Senator Obama, skipped the Iran vote entirely.
Saber-rattling is not a good way to get the Iranians to cooperate and work with us for peace. But it is a tried and true method of laying the groundwork for another war -- a war that would be a disaster for the Middle East, for the United States and for the world. Saying that we're on a "path to diplomacy" while imposing these sanctions and increasing the war rhetoric only strengthens hard-line elements in the Iranian leadership and increases the risk of violence breaking out.
Further, a policy of "unilateral sanctions will actually diminish our diplomatic options. "Unilateral sanctions" are both ineffective and porous, and they will undermine the effort to get meaningful multilateral sanctions that the Iranians would possibly pay attention to.
Diplomacy continues to be the path not taken by the Bush administration.
Again and again, President Bush has shown a disdain for diplomacy and our own governmental institutions. The Democratic Congress needs to stand up to this president and prevent him from starting another needless war, which will further isolate us in the world and strengthen our enemies.
Bush's goal seems clear -- to keep ramping up the rhetoric and threats until he's managed to back us into another unwanted war. But what isn't clear to me is what Congress is going to do about it. Haven't we yet learned the lesson that if you give this president an inch on this aggression, he will take a mile?
I know this region. I spent 80 percent of my time as ambassador to the United Nations on Iraq and the Middle East issues. If we want to succeed in the region, we have to get all of our troops out of Iraq. We have to talk to the Iranians and back that up with global diplomacy to build strong support for tough sanctions. That is how we will be successful, not with the president's saber-rattling. Congress needs to stop him before he goes too far.
Of course, Congress just had a chance to stand up to Bush with an unequivocal "no war with Iran" vote. But they squandered the opportunity -- just as they, time and time again, have missed chances to stand up to Bush on Iraq.
Now is not the time for a "wait and see" attitude -- not on ending the war in Iraq and not on starting a war in Iran.
When it comes to Iraq, I want all the troops out, now. If the president won't do it, we need to convince Congress to stand up -- go to www.getourtroopsout.com to join us.
Comments for this post are now closed
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
If so many people here feel Gov. Richardson's message is not being heard by the media or the general population, it's because he's not getting the media attention he deserves.
So let's make them pay attention. Go to his website, www.richardsonforpresident.com, click on the Events link, find one near you, and go to it. If Richardson starts drawing the kinds of crowds that Clinton, Obama, and Edwards draw, he will get more of the media's coverage.
We can't just continue to preach to the choir here. We have to get to the approx. 60% of voters (according to the recent Zogby poll) who could be convinced to vote for him.
Thank you Governor Richardson for keeping this problem on the front burner. The American people and apparently the Congress have no idea what is at stake here.
An attack on Iran will set off a chain of "unintended consequences" which must likely will lead to a series of events without historical precident.
God help us all.
WE CAN NOT WAIT UNTIL JAN '09 TO STOP THIS INSANITY.
I appreciate your stand on the war and Iran, but we can not conjole ourselves with the thought that it's only 15 months more- this is ridiculous!!!! Since when in American are we regulated to the point we can't get rid of a corrupt administration except through the allotted election times.
If you want to be my President- then demand the resignation of this one (and his little dog W. too). Frankly by '09 it sounds like this admin will have met it's deadline goals. Thanks for nothing while you sit in seats given to you by US !!!
I Hate Neo CON repugs,but I'm a woman scorned by the Dems.Get up off your asses and get them out NOW !!!!! Consider this a verbal 'bitch slap' to all the Blue Lap dogs ( Feinny & Schummer). COMPLICITE COMPLICITE COMPLICITE.
blankmw (I'm a fan): --Thats the best set of Articles of Impeachment I've seen in a while (better than mine)! --I'm sure you sent them to Madam Speaker.
Bill, show a little leadership and step out and offer Kucinich the VP slot and watch how quick your numbers shoot up. You and he are the only ones who have taken the position that we have no business in Iraq or Iran and that's exactly what the majority of the people of this nation want. In this way you will leap ahead of the so-called "front-runners" and win by a mile. I predict it!
Lets see, we have how many issues going on
right now;
1. Conflict in Iraq and Afghanastan
2. Abuse of Presidential Powers
3. Economy on verge of recession
4. More jobs lost
5. Mukasey confirmed
6. Torture
7. Presidental candidates focused only on who
will win, not state of country
8. Impending war with Iran
9. Overall corruption in Washington
9 1/2. Fear of reprisal from White House for
oposing Bush policy
Which topic would you go for first? And this is
only a partial list.
With all due respect Governor I think some of the democratic response to this is built directly from fear of what could be done to them in the media and personally as well as politically. You recall the anthrax issue...all directed at Democrats...that is probably the tip of the threat ice burg..However if they dont stand up and be the leaders of this country that they were elected to be then perhaps they should look at other employment options...this country is screaming for leadership and heroism against this unelected tyrannical leader and his buddy Dick...I dont think I speak too strongly when I say that wealth and unfettered power has only deepened their mental health issues and made it a problem for us all on the world stage....
Saber rattling with Iran has at least two other affects.
The first and most painful is that it caused the price oil to spike which in turn increases the wealth of Bush/Cheney corporate cronies.
The second and most obvious is that it changes the subject from other issues.
I do not believe Bush will start a war with Iran for the simple reason that without conscription (DRAFT) Bush has no army to fight another war. In fact without a DRAFT Bush cannot even finish the wars he started. Furthermore a DRAFT will cause the Republicans to lose what is to them of most value: power in Washington.
Rather, the reason's for the Bush/Cheney saber rattling is that it results in increased profits for their cronies and changes the subject from their other failures.
Dick Cheney claims to have resigned as Halburton's CEO to be Vice President. In reality Dick Cheney almost certainly still views himself as Halburton's CEO.
When moveon .org sends out a questionaire asking to what intensity people support a position requiring Bush to seek congressional approval before attacking Iran ,I think it shows how badly even politically astute people just don't get it.It's Congress who okayed the Iraq invasion and subsequent occupation ! Its not Congress against the President.Its Congress ,the President etc.out for themselves.
.We have a government that thinks we work for it, not the other way around.
there are senators running for President, wanting to be leaders, claiming to be leaders, and sitting on their hands (Clinton, Obama, Dodd...though he is beginning to speak up).
i just wish they would actually demonstrate some leadership! they could actually lead some legislative opposition to this silly war. they could actually lead some action to keep this bozo from crawford/keenebunkport in check.
i honestly do not understand how those Democratic senators who want to be president (Clinton, Obama) refuse to show leadership in the Senate on this, yet tell us they are enough of a good leader to be President.
Come on, Bill. We're stuck in Iraq, having to undo the mess we created by going there -that is if we have any morality left, and want to salvage the credibility of our national military option for future truly strategic situations.
But Iran is a different problem. How we can talk sanctions, where the most immediate object lesson for that technique is 90 miles south of Miami, is further evidence of the bankruptcy of D.C. But to Bush and Cheney talking is evidence of weakness. And they can't recognize that threats cause most people like themselves reflexively to puff up their egos and rhetoric to compensate. Maybe you could ship identical full-length mirrors to the White House and Teheran.
i'm heartened to hear another presidential candidate speak out against this illegitimacy. right now, nothing - not even congress, if it had the will - can stop this administration from starting a war with iran. we have signed away that right.
but what we need is to educate the american public of the illegitimacy of these false justifications for war and the dire consequences of further imperialist adventuring - particularly in the middle east - so that they don't support it if/when it happens, and they don't buy into another group of warmongering, fascist-leaning imperialists in '08.
I'm convinced that since Congress won't do the right thing, impeach Cheney, then Bush, that the only way to stop the Iraq war and the imminent attack on Iran, is for our outspoken former generals to get together with their active duty peers and perform a pro-Constitution, pro-democracy coup. We then can restore our rights and regain respect around the world.
A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for four more years of the same imperialistic policies of Bush-Cheney. She was bought and paid for by the same AIPAC- Neoconservative groups.
Loading comments…
|
||
Posted November 1, 2007 | 12:59 PM (EST)