Prevent war with Iran

Dear Ted,

Thank you for signing my petition to tell President Bush that
diplomacy, rather than war, is the best way to keep nuclear
weapons out of Iran's hands. I am writing to you today because I
need your help once again.

Last weekend, the London Times reported that the Pentagon was
drawing up plans for a massive wave of air strikes on Iran aimed
at wiping out that nation's military forces.

I can understand that leaking this plan is intended to raise the
pressure on Iran. But is it credible? And will it have the
desired impact? To be effective, such "threats" have to be
conveyed -- and not just by exercises and planted stories but by
earnest dialogue, the more broad-ranging, factual and
non-emotional, the better.

One-dimensional efforts like this usually don't payoff. They
arouse fears among friendly nations, and hostility from the
intended targets. If anything, they're likely to leave the
Administration in a less credible position.

We must let the Administration know that its one-dimensional
Iran policy -- threaten, intimidate, coerce -- isn't likely to
work. And when it fails, we'll be left with war. War.

Email your friends and family, and ask them to sign my petition
at StopIranWar.com today. Ask them to tell the Bush
administration that the best way to stop Iran's nuclear program
is by engaging in diplomacy -- not by shooting first and asking
questions later.

http://ga4.org/campaign/stopiranwar/forward/wssixwnrfi8mi8x?

If there is one mistake that George Bush makes over and over
again, it is that he believes that military force is the
solution to every problem. The Bush administration refused to
engage in any serious diplomacy before the war in Iraq -- and
now our nation is entangled in an endless guerilla war in that
nation. We cannot make the same mistake again.

Now the Times reports that the Pentagon has drawn up plans for
"massive airstrikes" against over 1,200 targets in Iran. Why
would the US draw up such plans without engaging in a full-scale
diplomatic effort with Iran?

The Adminstration's failure to engage in diplomacy shows its
preference for a military "showdown." This violates common sense
and experience.

The ideas of national security are to gain objectives and
protect interests, without military conflict, if possible. War
is costly and permanent. Lives are lost, and outcomes are
usually more difficult and have unanticipated consequences.

So why doesn't George W. Bush get it? Why not? Not enough
casualties, yet? Not enough pain? Not enough sorrow? And
especially, not enough wisdom?

Tell George W. Bush: "You've failed too often, miscalculated too
often, misled us too often. Enough is enough! It is time for
diplomacy with Iran."

Ask your friends and family to sign my petition today!

http://ga4.org/campaign/stopiranwar/forward/wssixwnrfi8mi8x?

We must give diplomacy a chance to work. It is our best hope for
defusing this crisis peacefully, creating a more stable Middle
East, and protecting American security.

Sincerely,

Retired General Wes Clark

Sign the petition: http://ga4.org/campaign/stopiranwar/wssixwnrfi8mi8x?

Visit StopIranWar: http://ga4.org/ct/RdSElP11tmnZ/home