More reports surface everyday regarding preparations for an attack on Iran. A top mideast analyst says, "I've seen some of the planning ... You're not talking about a surgical strike. You're talking about a war against Iran." Iran, meanwhile, is gathering troops on Iraq's border.
At least one Patriot missile battalion is on its way to an unspecified friendly country close to Iran. Two to four nuclear submarines are already in the waters around Iran. (One recently collided with a Japanese tanker.)
The Pentagon is covertly encouraging tribes in Iran's more isolated regions to undermine the central government's authority there.
The amount of money that the White House says is needed for the troop surge is far more than necessary, causing even the Comptroller General of the United States to ask how the administration intends to spend the excess funds.
Witnesses have come forward telling of Iran's offer in 2003 to meet all US demands in exchange for an end to US hostilities against them. Cheney's response? "We don't talk to evil."
Another meeting occurred just prior to the recent elections in which the Bush Administration planned how they would proceed with their plans for Iran if the Democrats took Congress. A source said, "“They’re afraid that Congress is going to vote a binding resolution to stop a hit on Iran." Unfortunately, the Senate seems prone to non-binding resolutions.
So... What can we do?
- Contact Democratic Senators and Congressmen, even if yours are Republican. Explain how hard you worked for the Democrats to win Congress. Many of us (including myself) are represented by Bush loyalists who are deaf to our pleas. The Democrats are our last hope. Beg them to take BINDING action.
Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
- Ask them to quickly pass legislation that prohibits the US from using nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear nation, AS WELL AS expressly forbidding the use, deployment or support of any strike that involves the use of nuclear weapons by the US or any ally against a non-nuclear nation.
- Ask them to quickly pass a BINDING resolution prohibiting the US from attacking Iran without the approval of Congress. Point out that, in the House, it took a REPUBLICAN to introduce such a sane and necessary measure. Come on, Dems, sign on!
- Ask them to quickly pass a BINDING resolution to stop the troop surge NOW.
- Ask them to cut off funding for the war. Iraq war funds will be used against Iran. This violates the intention of the funding, even for those Dems (like Leiberman) who want us to stay in Iraq.
- Tell them that it's time to start playing hardball... If the Bush administration won't back off on the troop surge and Iran, defund or otherwise kill or rewrite Bush's favorite initiatives (the tax cuts, Clear Skies Initiative, Healthy Forests Initiative, the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, No Child Left Behind...). We hold the purse strings now. Let's act like it!
- Point out that, if reports are true, Iran's policies may soon change in a direction the US would prefer, so long as we keep our distance.
- Start thinking about what YOU will do if Bush attacks Iran. If the public doesn't respond in some meaningful fashion, the White House will conclude that they can do absolutely anything they want. We need to have a serious discussion (locally and nationally) about our options. Personally, given recent disclosures about the Vice-President's leadership role in all this, I'd like to know more about options for his removal from office. This, more than anything else, seems like the best way to set Bush adrift.
Clearly, it's unlikely that Congress will take all of the actions suggested above. However, JUST ONE might do the trick. Two are even more likely. I'd recommend pushing for all of these options, because you never know which one might strike the right chord with any given individual.
Thanks in advance for your calls!