To: The United States Senate
Don't Promise to Join Israeli Attack on Iran
We strongly oppose Senate Resolution 65, which calls for the United States to join an Israeli preventive attack on Iran. The decision to take the U.S. to war should never be delegated to a foreign leader, especially one as hawkish as Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu.
Attacking Iran would only spur it to acquire nuclear weapons. Currently, there is no evidence that Tehran has decided to do so, though it may want to have the capability in reserve without crossing the threshold. War would break down any inhibitions. It would make heroes of Iran’s otherwise isolated leaders and inflame the Middle East. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, warns: “Not only will we be mired in yet another interminable war, but from this one we might not recover for half a century."
The resolution is also wrong to draw the red line at the mere "capability" to produce a nuclear weapon -- a formula that would block a reasonable diplomatic solution keeping Iran without nuclear weapons.
Ten years ago, the Senate mindlessly marched into the invasion of Iraq, a tragedy that cost 4,486 American lives and those of 111,827 Iraqi civilians. We respectfully insist: Don't follow the pro-war lobby this time. We cannot afford another disaster.
Attacking Iran would only spur it to acquire nuclear weapons. Currently, there is no evidence that Tehran has decided to do so, though it may want to have the capability in reserve without crossing the threshold. War would break down any inhibitions. It would make heroes of Iran’s otherwise isolated leaders and inflame the Middle East. Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Colin Powell, warns: “Not only will we be mired in yet another interminable war, but from this one we might not recover for half a century."
The resolution is also wrong to draw the red line at the mere "capability" to produce a nuclear weapon -- a formula that would block a reasonable diplomatic solution keeping Iran without nuclear weapons.
Ten years ago, the Senate mindlessly marched into the invasion of Iraq, a tragedy that cost 4,486 American lives and those of 111,827 Iraqi civilians. We respectfully insist: Don't follow the pro-war lobby this time. We cannot afford another disaster.
Why is this important?
Senate Resolution 65, which currently has 74 co-sponsors, calls for the United States to join a so-called preventive Israeli attack on Iran.