Diplomacy Now!

Email the President to stop war with Iran today!

Yesterday, the AP reported that the Bush-Cheney Administration has instituted "sweeping new sanctions against Iran Thursday -- the harshest since the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979 -- charging anew that Tehran supports terrorism in the Middle East, exports missiles and is engaging in a nuclear build up."

There are 3 choices in dealing with Iran. You can engage them. You can isolate them. Or you can attack them.

These sanctions could be part of any of the 3 strategies. The sanctions themselves can only be evaluated within the context of the overall policy. Currently, the administration has chosen a path of isolation with the threat of an attack.

This is the wrong strategy. The Bush-Cheney Administration's failure to use diplomacy in conjunction with these sanctions is unlikely to change Iran's behavior.

Please join VoteVets.org and me. Send a message to President Bush to use diplomacy to deal with Iran. War is not the answer.

The AP reported that Condoleezza Rice says Washington remains committed to "a diplomatic solution" and open to negotiations with Iran. Yet the Bush Administration refuses to speak with Iran unless the Iranians pre-emptively surrender their interests. This is not likely to happen, and the Administration will be left with two options: a nuclear Iran or war.

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) stated yesterday:

"Unilateral sanctions rarely, ever work...I just don't think the unilateral approach and giving war speeches helps the situation. It will just drive the Iranians closer together...It escalates the danger of a military confrontation."

Diplomacy is about carrots and sticks. Unfortunately, the Administration seems to believe it only has sticks. They have continued their saber-rattling, and without diplomacy, the announced sanctions only serve to escalate the tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

Tell President Bush it is time to begin direct dialogue without conditions. War with Iran is not the answer. Send a letter to President Bush today.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Phony soldier?

Rush Limbaugh recently labeled all Iraq veterans who want a change of direction in Iraq as "phony soldiers." But will he say this to Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz's face? Email Limbaugh and urge him to invite Jon Soltz to his radio show!

September 27, 2007

You've heard a number of times from Jon Soltz of VoteVets.org. Do you consider him a phony soldier?

According to Rush Limbaugh, Jon Soltz, an Iraq war veteran, is a phony soldier. Today, Media Matters reports that Rush Limbaugh said that those troops who come home and want to get America out of the middle of the religious civil war in Iraq are "phony soldiers."1

The question is, would Rush make these outrageous and offensive comments to Jon's face?

Take action now. Email Rush Limbaugh and urge him to invite Jon Soltz onto his radio show!

Rush Limbaugh has never worn the uniform in his life, yet he's got the moral standing to pass judgment on the men and women who risked their lives for this nation?

Polls have shown that the majority of troops on the ground in Iraq, and those who have returned, do not back the President's failed policy.

Does Rush believe, then, that the majority of the US Armed Forces are "phony?"

Major Generals John Batiste and Paul Eaton left the military and have spoken out against the Bush Administration's failed policies. These are former commanders in Iraq, and they have challenged the Administration for its stubborn refusal to listen to those commanders on the ground who have sent up warning after warning.

Does Rush believe that highly decorated Major Generals are "phony soldiers?"

Our nation's troops need your help, right now!

This week, the Senate will consider an amendment offered by military veterans Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) that puts on paper one of the greatest things we can do to support the troops and the military -- guaranteeing them proper time on the homefront, to improve our readiness.

Call your Senator at 202-224-3121 and tell them to support the Webb-Hagel Readiness Amendment.

Their amendment simply says that active duty troops should have as much time home as they had on deployment, and that National Guard and Reserve troops should have three years at home after their one-year deployment. Besides being a just and fair thing to do for those who are making tremendous sacrifices for all of us, it is just good military policy.

The war in Iraq is breaking our fine Army and Marine Corps. You've heard the stories about deployments being extended again and again, and troops coming home only to turn around and head right back. It has led to our troops being depleted and exhausted. Not only that, but it has seriously damaged our ability to defend this nation. Many units are simply not combat ready, and God forbid an attack by a rogue nation necessitates opening up a new war front, our forces would be unable to respond. Further, extended and frequent deployments of our National Guard has left us much more vulnerable at home.

As Major General Batiste, a former commanding general in Iraq said, "In addition to our country's lack of strategic focus and failure to mobilize the country, our military is at a breaking point. The Webb-Hagel Amendment is a step in the right direction to force our leadership to come to grips with the gross mismatch between capability and requirements."

Tomorrow, we're going to be on Capitol Hill, to speak out in strong support of this bill. But we need you to back up our efforts.

Call your Senator's office at 202-224-3121 and tell them to support the Webb-Hagel Readiness Amendment. If you served in OIF or OEF, be sure to note that to the staffer you speak with. Remember, be polite with the person answering the phone, but firm in saying you support the troops, General Clark's WesPAC, VoteVets.org, and Senators Webb and Hagel.

Let's make this happen, and really support the troops!

Sincerely,

Peter Granato

Iraq War Veteran

Veterans Outreach Coordinator, VoteVets.org

Speak out now!

Joe Lieberman is at it again

After wrongly supporting George W. Bush's strategic blunder of attacking Iraq, and continuing to support Bush's failed policies after the invasion, Senator Joe Lieberman made irresponsible comments this weekend regarding military action against Iran.

On CBS's Face the Nation, Lieberman said, "If [the Iranians] don't play by the rules, we've got to use our force, and to me, that would include taking military action to stop them from doing what they're doing."

This type of "tough-talk" by the Bush Administration and folks like Senator Joe Lieberman is why VoteVets.org and I collaborated to create StopIranWar.com, calling for heavy diplomatic, economic, and political action to discourage the acquisition of nuclear capabilities by the Iranian government.

Over 40,000 people have signed our petition to President Bush, urging him to work with our allies and use every diplomatic, political, and economic option at our disposal to deal with Iran. Add your name to the petition today!

StopIranWar.com.

Senator Lieberman's saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shia militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities. In fact, it's highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I urge him to stop.

This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and only plays into the hands of President Ahmadinejad, and those who seek an excuse for military action. What we need now is full-fledged engagement with Iran. We should be striving to bridge the gulf of almost 30 years of hostility and only when all else fails should there be any consideration of other options. The Iranians are very much aware of US military capabilities. They don't need Joe Lieberman to remind them that we are the militarily dominant power in the world today.

Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point. What our soldiers need is responsible strategy, not a further escalation of tensions in the region. Senator Lieberman must act more responsibly and tone down his threat machine.

We cannot let people like Joe Lieberman dictate the terms of this debate.

Sign the petition to President Bush today!

StopIranWar.com

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Clark slams Lieberman on Iran

UPI | June 13, 2007

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., June 13 (UPI) -- Retired Gen. Wesley Clark has slammed Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., for threatening military force against Iran.

Clark, the former Supreme Allied NATO Commander and chair of the Board of Advisers of VoteVets.org, Monday said in a statement that Lieberman, the former Democratic candidate for vice president in the 2000 presidential election, had been irresponsible in saying Sunday that such action against Iran might be necessary.

"Sen. Lieberman's saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shiite militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities. In fact, it's highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I would urge him to stop," Clark said.

"This kind of rhetoric is irresponsible and only plays into the hands of (Iranian) President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad and those who seek an excuse for military action," the retired four-star general said.

"What we need now is full-fledged engagement with Iran," he said. "All options are on the table, but we should be striving to bridge the gulf of almost 30 years of hostility before, and only when all else fails should there be any consideration of other options."

"Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point," Clark said. "What our soldiers need is responsible strategy, not a further escalation of tensions in the region. Sen. Lieberman has to act much more responsibly and tone down his threat machine."

It was 2005 in Afghanistan. Marines were ambushed. Men were being hit. Army artillery officer Mike Breen, and his unit were holding off the enemy, but they were running out of ammunition. Breen kept calling for helicopters to re-supply us. But the helicopters never came.

Where were the helicopters?

This is the question the third and final ad of the "Generals" series by VoteVets.org asks.

View the final ad here | Donate Here

Following on the ads from General Batiste and General Eaton, I appear in this ad with Officer Breen to highlight the Bush administration's failed national security and foreign policy. The fact is the Iraq war hinders our ability to fight the war on terror.

Where were the helicopters?

The helicopters, the equipment, and the troops are stuck fighting George Bush's war in Iraq. As I said before the invasion, military action against Iraq would distract us from fighting those who attacked us on 9/11: Al Qaeda. George Bush and Dick Cheney constantly trumpet their capture of Saddam Hussein, but where is Osama Bin Laden?

Congress has to help get the strategy right, so we can fight the terrorists who are the real threat to America.

Donate to VoteVets.org keep the ad on the air.

The President did not listen when I went before the House Armed Services Committee in 2002, discouraging an invasion of Iraq. The President did not listen to General Batiste and General Eaton, as they called for a new strategy in Iraq. And the President is still not listening.

The series of "Generals" ads is making an impact. The voters, the national media, and the local media are putting pressure on the members of Congress who are blindly supporting the President. The days of rubberstamping Bush's failed strategy must end.

In this version of the ad, I call on Congress and Virginia's Senator John Warner to "Protect America, Not George Bush." Blindly supporting Bush's failed strategy does not protect America. The voters need to know the truth, and the more money we can raise for the ad, the more voters we can reach.

Donate to VoteVets.org keep the ad on the air.

The ads are making a difference. The response has been overwhelming, but we can't rest now.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark