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Since the launch of StopIranWar.com, nearly 40,000 people have contacted President Bush, urging him and his administration to use diplomacy to resolve the ongoing tensions with Iran. Your work to get StopIranWar.com’s message out is making a difference. We are making it clear to George W. Bush, his allies, and the media, that we will not stay silent – that the saber rattling from the White House is no substitute for a sustained dialogue to seek a solution that benefits the U.S., Iran, and the entire Middle East.

As part of our own dialogue on Iran, we’re releasing a special ClarkCast podcast this week: Iranian Voices in America.  We wanted to hear their point of view on relations between our countries, on the possibilities of diplomacy and on the possibilities of war.  And we want to learn more about Iran and Iranians from the voices of real people.  The podcast, produced by Clark Community blogger MS in LA and her husband Keith, features Sara Amir, an environmental engineer working for the California EPA, Ali, a Beverly Hills professional working in sales, and Mahmoud, a California architect living in America for 29 years.  All three maintain close contact with friends and family in Iran and visit frequently.

Listen to the latest “ClarkCast” now!

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• Read the Transcript

And if you haven’t yet, urge President Bush to use diplomacy with Iran today.

Finally, help us continue our efforts. Send a contribution to WesPAC today! Make sure we have the resources to continue to fight for the important issues facing our country.

Thanks for your continuing support!

Sincerely,

Why we need to talk about Iran.

Before I break cyber-ground here with my first ever diary on Kos I want to acknowledge how impressed I am with the DailyKos community. I’m incredibly grateful for everything they have done to highlight our organization (www.votevets.org) in our fight to hold politicians accountable for flawed military strategies and blatant disregard for veterans’ issues.

We owe the success of our Body Armor ad to the amazing response it received on the blogs.

What I really want to focus on today, with this initial blog, is the launch of a joint initiative between VoteVets.org and Ret. General Clark’s WesPAC: StopIranWar.com. We’ve produced a series of Video Blogs that examine how a war with Iran will affect U.S. Security, our troops in Iraq, and the overall stability of the Middle East.

Read the rest of the story and let us know what you think.

Silence.

That is what worries me. With every passing day that the administration won’t talk to Iran, we come closer to an Iranian nuclear weapon, and the time at which the decision must be made whether or not the administration will use its military option.

In today’s video blog, Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets.org, and I discuss the serious consequences of using military force against Iran–the impact on our men and women in uniform, U.S. influence in the region, and the stability of the Middle East.

The Bush Administration may refuse to have direct talks with Iran, but we cannot remain silent.
An attack on Iran will put additional strain on our already overextended military. It could well affect the United States’ ability to extricate our forces from Iraq, as our troops will likely face even more attacks on the ground. And there will be potential for hostilities on American embassies abroad, a hike in oil prices, and an increased likelihood of terrorist attacks wherever Hizballah has active cells. You just don’t know, and quite frankly, I don’t want us to find out.

Read the full story and take action today.

There have been growing reports in the last week which lend credence to the idea that the US has a plan together for a war with Iran, which would include nuclear weapons.

Seymour Hersh, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, published what is probably the most in-depth reporting on the matter. I know others have written about it, but if you haven’t taken a look yet, please do, and pass it on.

The White House did announce that it would take part in a round table discussion organized by the Iraqis, which would include representatives from Iran and Syria. What remains to be seen is whether the administration is really committed to diplomacy, or whether they are merely going through the motions, like they did before going to war with Iraq.

Read the full story.

Basking in the afterglow of the Oscars is one way of taking the sting out of Monday morning.

It was fun. I thought Ellen did a great job. I was genuninely excited for Jennifer Hudson (take that, Simon Cowell). And of course there was Al. Congratulations, Al. Keep leading the effort to save our planet and don’t let the the people whose tunnel vision is focused on the White House distract you from your greater purpose. Because there are things in this world more critical to our future well-being than US elections.

Like neoconservatives who don’t understand the limitations of military power in achieving political ends. Clipping the wings of these madmen who are going to kill us all if we don’t do something.The world CANNOT WAIT for the superficial freak show of campaign 2008 to play itself out. In fact, one has almost nothing to do with the other, and I’m astonished that there are otherwise intelligent people who seem to believe that all we have to do is elect a new President, and our nightmare will be over….

Last week, General Wes Clark sent out an email announcing the new StopIranWar.com campaign he has joined with the Iraq war vets of VoteVets.org…

Mission: to wake up the American people and stop a war.

He may yet run. But obviously, his priorities are ordered a bit differently from your average politician. Maybe after you’ve spent a highly disciplined 34 years in uniform, your instincts to defend the country are more ingrained than your need for the spotlight. And when such a high level (and still well-connected) former military official is warning us that we’re in trouble and need to act, maybe we ought to pay heed.

Read the Diary.

Last week I posted about the looming conflict with Iran. Many of you asked, “What can I do?”

Over the course of the week I worked with Jon Soltz and the team at VoteVets.org to come up with a solution: StopIranWar.com. I believe it is critical to give voice to the vast majority of Americans who want to avoid a military conflict with Iran, and I hope you will visit StopIranWar.com to add your voice to our efforts.

The Bush Administration seems headed for a showdown in the Middle East over the issue of Iran’s nuclear capacity, and it’s clear that all Americans want to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and interfering on the ground inside Iraq.

That said, military force must be viewed as the last resort, and not the first option. Yet the Bush administration refuses to engage in direct talks with Iran, and with each passing month that we remain stalled and the Iranian program progresses, we come closer to the US military option.  Be sure to read more of my Daily Kos diary and leave me your comments and thoughts.

At the very beginning of this year, right here on HuffPost, I warned that signs were pointing towards military action against Iran. It didn’t get much attention at the time, and reporters and television producers weren’t interested in talking about it. What a difference six weeks makes.

The BBC reports that we are, indeed, planning for military strikes against Iran.

Meanwhile, the President seems to found his reason to attack Iran, pinning American deaths in Iraq on the Iranians (I’ll get to that point in a moment and why it doesn’t mean we need to launch a new war). Of course, we’ve seen this before, in 2002. Back then, an overwhelming majority on Capitol Hill told us, “Hey, don’t worry, we’re not going to go to war with Iraq. We just need to show strength so Saddam backs down.”

Well, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice… uh… won’t get fooled again.

Yesterday, General Wes Clark, a man I served under in Kosovo, put out a call, for everyone to sign up to a new campaign, jointly sponsored by him and VoteVets.org, www.StopIranWar.com. In just 24 hours, more than 10,000 people sent letters to the White House, Congress, and their local paper, urging some sanity in our military policy. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to go to the site and use the tools. Believe me, if every office in Washington and newspapers all around the country get 10,000 emails a day, we will be heard. Be sure to read the rest of Jon’s Huffington Post today.