To the Editor:
In the first campaign debate with Iraq War veteran Patrick Murphy, Michael Fitzpatrick "said he would support Israel in a pre-emptive strike against Iran, [while] Murphy criticized the freshman congressman for trying to 'spread war' in the Middle East."
This administration's barely suppressed urge for war against Iran, possibly with Israel acting as proxy, was the most alarming threat described by former UN arms inspector Scott Ritter and CIA veteran Ray McGovern at a Middle East war forum on July 22. Ritter denied that Iran's nuclear program poses an imminent danger that needs to be addressed militarily and warned that if Iran is attacked the price of oil will triple and our economy will be destroyed. Yet so far it is the military—not Congress—that is holding Bush back, while 21 former generals, diplomats, and national security officials charge in an open letter that "the administration's 'hard line' has actually undermined U.S. security." (LA Times, 8/16)
Beltway hawks like Fitzpatrick must be replaced in November. This administration's foreign policy is an unmitigated disaster. Believing you can win the war on terror primarily by military means is the surest way to lose it and much, much more. A veteran like Patrick Murphy understands that.
