| Author | Message | | Guest | | Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2002 9:28 am Post subject: CIA: War will make us less safe, not more |
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Subj: CIA: War will make us less safe, not more
Date: 10/10/02 4:29:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Dear MoveOn Member,
Yesterday, the Central Intelligence Agency released a letter that turns President Bush's argument for war on its head. In it, a senior intelligence official said that the likelihood of an attack by Saddam using weapons of mass destruction in the "foreseeable future" is low.
But he went on to say that if Saddam was attacked, the likelihood of him using chemical or biological weapons or providing them to terrorist organizations was "pretty high."
In other words, a war against Iraq would likely create exactly the disaster that President Bush claims it will prevent. It may be the only circumstance under which Saddam Hussein would use whatever chemical or biological weapons are at his disposal against the United States.
(There still isn't any solid evidence that Saddam has any weapons of mass destruction.) The CIA letter makes it clear that a war on Iraq will make our country and the world less safe, not more safe. Since the debate in the Senate could end any day now, please call your Senator right now.
Make sure the staffer you speak to knows that you're a constituent. Then tell him or her that in light of the new CIA testimony, you hope the Senator will vote against authorizing a war on Iraq. Feel free to explain why you're worried about the effects of a war on our security. Once you've made your call, please let us know by filling out the form below:
(If the form doesn't work, go to http://www.moveon.org/callmade_iraq.html?id=801-1272873-x7YMiILWWtlz%2BFqAi%2BG2pw .)
Our calls are having an impact. On the floor of the Senate, Senator Barbara Boxer said that "I believe every president has an obligation to lay out a path for peace before taking the country to war. In my view, I haven't seen this president do that yet. And in the view of my constituents, thousands of whom are calling me, it's unbelievable, every two days we get 1,000 calls or emails, they're saying they feel the president is itching to go to war."
By calling today, we'll keep this tremendous pressure on our Senators to do the right thing. Sincerely,
--Eli Pariser
International Campaigns Director
MoveOn.org
Thursday, October 10, 2002 P.S. Here's the language directly from the CIA document: "Senator Levin: . . . If (Saddam) didn't feel threatened, did not feel threatened, is it likely that he would initiate an attack using a weapon of mass destruction? Senior Intelligence Witness: . . .
My judgment would be that the probability of him initiating an attack - let me put a time frame on it - in the foreseeable future, given the conditions we understand now, the likelihood I think would be low. Senator Levin: Now if he did initiate an attack you've . . . indicated he would probably attempt clandestine attacks against us . . . But what about his use of weapons of mass destruction?
If we initiate an attack and he thought he was in extremis or otherwise, what's the likelihood in response to our attack that he would use chemical or biological weapons? Senior Intelligence Witness: Pretty high, in my view." The letter is available in its entirety at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/09/international/09TTEX.html
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