Urgent Letter from Dennis Kucinich about Bush Administration Plans for a US War vs. Iran

Dear Friends,

The Bush Administration is preparing for war against Iran, using an almost identical drumbeat of weapons of mass destruction, imminent threat, alleged links to Al Queda, and even linking Iran with a future 911.

In the past few months reports have been published in Newsweek, ABC News and GQ Magazine that indicate the US is recruiting members of paramilitary groups to destabilize Iran through violence. The New Yorker magazine and the Guardian have written that US has already deployed military inside Iran. The latest issue of Time writes of plans for a naval blockade of Iran at the Port of Hormuz, through which 40% of the world's oil supply passes. Other news reports have claimed that an air strike, using a variety of bombs including bunker busters to be dropped on over 1,000 targets, including nuclear facilities. This could obviously result in a great long term humanitarian and environmental disaster.

Earlier this year, I demanded congressional hearings on Iran and was able to secure the promise of a classified briefing from the Department of Defense, the State Department and the CIA. When the briefing was held, the Department of Defense and the State Department refused to show and are continuing to block any congressional inquiry into plans to attack Iran.

Just this past week, the International Atomic Energy Agency called "erroneous, misleading and unsubstantiated" statements relating to Iran's nuclear program which came from a staff report of the House Intelligence committee. Other intelligence officials have claimed over a dozen distortions in the report which, among other things, said Iran is producing weapons grade uranium. The Washington Post wrote: "The IAEA called that 'incorrect' noting that weapons grade uranium is enriched to a level of 90 percent or more. Iran has enriched uranium to 3.5% under IAEA monitoring."

I have demanded that the Government Oversight subcommittee on National Security and International Relations, of which I am the ranking Democrat, hold hearings to determine how in the world the Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, viewed the report without correcting the obvious inaccuracies before it was published. Once again a case for war is being built on lies.

You will recall that four and a half years ago I warned this nation about the deception behind the build up to war against Iraq. Everything I said then turned out to be 100% right. I led 125 Democrats in opposing the Iraq war resolution in March of 2003. The very same people who brought us Iraq in 2003 are getting ready to bring us a war against Iran.

With your help, I will lead the way to challenge the Bush Administration's march to war against Iran. Please support my campaign for re-election with a generous donation to help continue my work in the Congress. The plan to attack Iran, on its face, threatens the safety of every US soldier serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, not to mention the countless Iranian lives at risk and the threat to world peace and environmental catastrophes.

With your support, I intend to continue to insist upon:

(1) Direct negotiations with Iran. (2) The US must guarantee Iran and the world community that it will not attack Iran. (3) Iran must open once again to international inspections of its nuclear program. (4) Iran must agree not to build nuclear weapons.

Many of you joined me three years ago as I ran for President to challenge the deliberate lies about WMDs, Iraq and 911, Iraq and Al Queda and the Niger "yellowcake" claims which put us onto the path of an unnecessary, illegal, costly war in Iraq. The Iraq war has caused greater instability and violence in the world community. In the meantime, our government has used the oxymoronic war on terror to trample our Constitution, rip up the Bill of Rights and rule by fear.

Please join with me as we continue our efforts for the end of fear and the beginning of hope, for international dialogue, for cooperation and for peace.

Thank you,

Dennis Kucinich

We Are The Troops

Message From John Kerry, the last man voted president by the people of the United States.

"I remember when I was back home from Vietnam and veterans were speaking out against the Vietnam war policy, someone yelled at the vets: "You should support the troops." One of those veterans said simply: "Lady, we are the troops."

With a war in Iraq gone horribly wrong and a Republican attack machine determined to smear those who speak out, there's nothing more important this fall than electing veterans to Congress who can speak out about Iraq with a special moral authority.

And man, do we need them. Recently, John "Randy" Kuhl, a Republican incumbent House member from New York, returned from a visit to Iraq. He reported that things were going well. In fact, he says he almost forgot he was in a war zone.

I can't tell you whether that hard-to-believe comment reflects his disconnect with reality or his refusal to level with the people he represents. But, I can tell you this: No one who knows what it really means to be in a war zone would talk like that.

If you act now to support Eric Massa, the 24-year Navy veteran running against Kuhl, there will be one less Congressman in Washington next year who blindly supports the failed Republican policy in Iraq.

Eric served in Desert Storm, Bosnia and Beirut. And he's telling people the truth about Iraq -- that there is no purely military solution to the problems there. He, three other proud veterans I'll tell you about in a moment, and VoteVets.org, a political action committee founded to support candidates like them, need your help right now.

SUPPORT OUR "FOUR VETS, FOUR VICTORIES" CAMPAIGN

Our "Four Vets, Four Victories" campaign can help change the face of Congress if you act now. Every one of these candidates has served America under fire. And every one of them can win the opportunity to serve again on November 7th if we act now.

Chris Carney, a veteran of multiple military operations, is in a toss-up race against Don Sherwood, another rubber-stamp Republican incumbent who has failed to ask tough questions about the Bush administration's aimless policies in Iraq.

Joe Sestak, a former three-star Admiral who served in the Navy for 31 years, is another veteran on the road to victory in Pennsylvania. He's running against Curt Weldon, a Republican incumbent in the Rick Santorum camp who believes the "jury is still out" on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, despite overwhelming and undeniable proof to the contrary.

The fourth candidate we're focusing on today is Charlie Brown, running against John Doolittle, an ethically-challenged, entrenched GOP incumbent. Charlie is running for Congress after a distinguished 26-year Air Force career during which he was involved in every U.S. military conflict from Vietnam to Desert Storm, including coordinating all surveillance flights over Iraq's "No Fly Zones" in the mid-1990's.

SUPPORT OUR "FOUR VETS, FOUR VICTORIES" CAMPAIGN

Nothing would make me prouder than to know that our "Four Vets, Four Victories" campaign helped carry these impressive candidates to Congress. That's the outcome that's within reach, but only if you rush your financial support to one or more of these candidates.

Every day it becomes more apparent how hard the Republican Party and its candidates will struggle to hold on to power in these elections. They'll throw everything they've got at our candidates. We've got to be there with our financial support.

So, pick one candidate or donate to all four. But, whatever you do, don't stay on the sidelines. This is your opportunity to stand side-by-side with veterans who have already given so much to America and who are ready to provide the leadership we need in Washington.

SUPPORT OUR "FOUR VETS, FOUR VICTORIES" CAMPAIGN

Thank you for all you are doing in the critical buildup to Election Day.

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. There's one other critical way you can help veterans running for office. Support VoteVets.org, a political action committee formed by Iraq veterans to support Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are running for Congress. VoteVets.org is providing campaigns with training and support and running TV ads critical of candidates who support the failed "stay the course" policy of the Bush administration.

So, in addition to supporting our four candidates, I hope you'll consider standing with VoteVets.org.

Paid for by Friends of John Kerry.Authorized by Sestak For CongressAuthorized by Brown for CongressAuthorized by Carney for CongressAuthorized by Massa for CongressAuthorized by VoteVets.org"

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