Blinded by ideological fundamentalism, President Bush has taken the recent NIE on Iran, and deemed it a "warning signal". This is precisely the sort of misleading, scare-mongering propaganda that the President used to manipulate the American public and Congress into the Iraq war.
We ALL know (now!) there were no Iraqi WMDs, no threat of a "mushroom cloud", and therefore no justification for squandering America's moral credibility, the common wealth of our nation (now in the $ hundreds of billions) and -- most importantly -- the lives of our honorable soldiers, in this horribly misbegotten Iraq war.
We cannot let President Bush's misleading propaganda lead us down that same destructive path in Iran.
Sixteen of our intelligence agencies have just concluded that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. This fact flies in the face of President Bush and Vice President Cheney’s heated rhetoric on Iran. The NIE report clearly diminishes the credibility of a President with a dangerous record of overstating threats.
President Bush’s statements, including talk about the potential for World War III are outrageous, inflammatory and – are themselves – some of the greatest current threats to America’s safety. The very pronouncement of these words rattles a saber in the face of Iran, and foments the very instability that makes war more likely. Like in the buildup to Iraq, the President’s own propaganda does more to edge us toward war than the actions of any supposed enemy.
We cannot let this President manufacture another needless war!
A wise leader would stop fanning flames in the Middle East, and work constructively to stop further unraveling the region. If our current President had any real intention of ending (not creating) conflict there, he should announce that his Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense are prepared to meet anytime, anywhere with their Iranian counterparts (and other world leaders) to manage the situation diplomatically.
The American people should demand no less.
Strong leaders speak softly and carry a big stick (which they keep far in the background, only for use as a last resort). Weak and fearful "leaders" finger their stick anxiously in public as they lack the courage and charisma needed to manage tough situations without force.
If President Bush doesn’t have the strength to keep his itchy trigger finger at bay, then we the people need to step in and help out.
We cannot allow our reckless, war-mongering President to force the same mistakes that led us to start the Iraq war. Yes, we (he!) started that unjust and unnecessary war – and he got away with it by clouding the public’s judgment with same manipulation and lies that he’s trying once again.
This time, it must be different, and it will be. We will stand up to this President and hold our ground courageously until he recognizes that we will not let him take our country down that ruinous road again.
No Iraq sequels in Iran! Not again. Not this time.