This post was updated on April 22.
In a very informal, unscientific straw poll I took this week of eight acquaintances spanning the political spectrum--three distinctly right, three distinctly left and two from the mushy center--no one thinks it's anything other than insane for the Bush Administration to consider any military option against Iran. And, Bush's posturing of "keeping all options on the table" aside, the Administration has gone out of its way to discount any attack plans. But Seymour Hersh's recent New Yorker reporting suggesting otherwise--and the Administration's track record of doing incredibly stupid things--have got people spooked. As Phyllis Bennis wrote recently on CommonDreams, "the danger of such a reckless move is real, and rising. The Bush administration claims that negotiations are their first choice. But they have gone to war based on lies before, and there is no reason to believe that they are telling the truth this time."
Consequently, peace groups are mobilizing to prevent possible war in Iran. Most of the campaigns involve communications to Congress. This can sometimes feel futile, but on the cusp of critical midterm elections, our elected reps could be unusually vulnerable to the popular will.
Peter Rothberg
This post was updated on April 22.
In a very informal, unscientific straw poll I took this week of eight acquaintances spanning the political spectrum–three distinctly right, three distinctly left and two from the mushy center–no one thinks it’s anything other than insane for the Bush Administration to consider any military option against Iran. And, Bush’s posturing of “keeping all options on the table” aside, the Administration has gone out of its way to discount any attack plans. But Seymour Hersh’s recent New Yorker reporting suggesting otherwise–and the Administration’s track record of doing incredibly stupid things–have got people spooked. As Phyllis Bennis wrote recently on CommonDreams, “the danger of such a reckless move is real, and rising. The Bush administration claims that negotiations are their first choice. But they have gone to war based on lies before, and there is no reason to believe that they are telling the truth this time.”
Consequently, peace groups are mobilizing to prevent possible war in Iran. Most of the campaigns involve communications to Congress. This can sometimes feel futile, but on the cusp of critical midterm elections, our elected reps could be unusually vulnerable to the popular will.
AfterDowningStreet has a petition to Bush and Cheney as well as an international call against an Iran attack; Code Pink has an email to Kofi Annan; the Department of Peace Campaign is urging emails to the President and Congress; TrueMajority takes an interesting approach with an email to the Democratic Congressional leadership; VotersforPeace adopts a similar tactic with its petition targeting leading Democrats; Progressive Democrats of America has an email to Congress. United for Peace and Justice is circulating petition drives to both Congress and the UN; We’ve created our own action letter to Congress urging support for Rep. Peter DeFazio’s Sense of Congress resolution, which would remind George W. Bush that he is legally bound to obtain the approval of Congress before launching a military strike against Iran. If you live in London, the StopTheWar coalition is planning a march against possible Iran actions at 1:00 in the Peace Garden at Tavistock Sq. on May 6. Finally, read what could be a blueprint for the peace movement’s plans on Iran by Mimi Kennedy, Jodie Evans and Tad Daley, published recently on Alternet, as well as Jeremy Brecher and Brendan Smith’s Nation online exclusive, Attack Iran, Ignore the Constitution.
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Fox News…But Were Unable To Ask
Our friends at MediaChannel.org have arranged an interview between MC’s Rory O’Connor and Senior Vice President John Moody, who oversees all story content for Fox News and is responsible for both the design and editorial direction of the Fox News Channel. Moody has agreed to be interviewed next week. Click here to submit questions. Please make them specific, thoughtful, and respectful.
Peter RothbergTwitterPeter Rothberg is the The Nation’s associate publisher.