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The Latest Headlines on StopIranWar include:

 Wesley Clark: The military in Iraq are resolving nothing
There are more important issues than troop numbers and withdrawal dates. The US should take a lead in talking to Iran – now    The Independent | September 9, 2007
When well-qualified retired officers speak out against their political masters’ policies, the public should take heed. General Sir Mike Jackson, the recently retired UK Army chief, is now speaking out, and his concerns warrant full consideration. I’ve known Mike well over the years – and while we haven’t agreed on everything, he is on solid ground in his criticisms of US and Coalition policy in Iraq, at least as they are reflected in what I have seen of his book, Soldier: The Autobiography.

As US Secretary of Defense, Don Rumsfeld exerted a heavy hand on American foreign policy. I had first got to know him working around the White House in the Ford administration. He was the brilliant 42-year-old who would certainly be president some day: tough-minded then, even tougher 28 years later. Strike quickly, and then leave. Invading Iraq would serve two agendas: first, to finish off Saddam, the bête noir of the Republican right; second, to cement his military “transformation” plan. But, ultimately, this is George Bush’s war.

Mind you, Mike Jackson isn’t the first retired general to criticise Bush, Rumsfeld and their policies. I began, in early 2002, questioning the necessity for war, and the haste with which the Bush administration was pushing the US into the invasion of Iraq. By early autumn of 2002, I was warning against giving the President a blank cheque to take the US to war before all other alternatives were exhausted. Secretary Rumsfeld’s aversion to “nation-building”, Nato activities in the Balkans, and peacekeeping in general, were well known. He and his team were preventing adequate post-invasion planning. I urged in testimony to the US Senate that full postwar planning be developed before the invasion – just as Mike and I had done as part of Nato before the 1999 operation against Serbia. And I warned that US actions in the region would serve to supercharge al-Qa’ida recruiting. The retired US marine, General Joe Hoare, supported me then, and warned of civil war in Iraq following the invasion.

Be sure to read the rest of the story.

U.S. actions against Iran raise war risk, many fear
By Warren P. Strobel and Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers | August 17, 2007

WASHINGTON — As President Bush escalates the United States’ confrontation with Iran across a broad front, U.S. allies in Europe and the Middle East are growing worried that the steps will achieve little, but will undercut diplomacy and increase the chances of war.

In the latest step, Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are considering designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps , the elite military force that serves as the guardian of Iran’s Islamic state, as a foreign terrorist organization.

News of the decision was leaked to newspapers in what a senior State Department official and Washington -based diplomats said was a sign of an intensifying internal struggle within the U.S. government between proponents of military action and opponents, led by Rice.

Be sure to read the rest of the story.

Joe Lieberman is at it again
Wes Clark | June 12, 2007

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 at StopIranWar.com. Now urge all of your friends and family to do the same.

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.

Urge all of your friends and family to sign the petition at StopIranWar.com today.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Clark, Lieberman Spar Over Iran
Hartford Courant | David Lightman | June 12, 2007

Joe Lieberman has triggered a war of words over Iran.

The senator told CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday that the U.S. should be prepared to strike Iran if necessary. He repeated that view Monday on the Fox News Network, saying, “It’s time to understand we’re prepared to take military action” to “take out” the bases where Iranians are training extremists to kill U.S. military personnel in Iraq.

Retired Gen. Wesley Clark had heard enough.

“Sen. Lieberman’s saber rattling does nothing to help dissuade Iran from aiding Shia militias in Iraq, or trying to obtain nuclear capabilities,” said Clark, who in 2004 was one of Lieberman’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“In fact,” said Clark, “it’s highly irresponsible and counter-productive, and I would urge him to stop.”

Lieberman wasn’t stopping.

Asked about Clark’s remarks, he said, “We’ve got some enemies out there … we’re not going to defeat them with a lot of talk and warm embraces.”

Clark took further aim at Lieberman: “Only someone who never wore the uniform or thought seriously about national security would make threats at this point.”

Lieberman got military deferments during the Vietnam era because first he was in college and was later married with children.