An open letter to Sens. Clinton & Edwards

One of the easiest things to do is Monday-morning quarterbacking. However, the great ones, the Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks do it on Sunday. That's what differentiates them from the rest of the pack.

I am well aware that your positions on Iraq are different. But basically they boil down to this,
"if I knew in 2002 what I know now I would not have voted to give the president the power to invade Iraq."
My question is, Why didn't you know then what you know now?

Surely we have learned more since then, but most of what we know now was available then. That's why many in and out of Congress knew enough then to raise serious questions about the snake oil the neo-con artists were selling. There was clearly enough information available to raise significant questions. Now-Sen. Obama spoke out then against the drum rolls for war and 23 of your colleagues voted against the joint resolution. Why didn't you have the same information they had?

There is no vote you can cast more important for our country and the world than the decision to go to war. In 2002 you failed us. We elected you to protect us from those who for their own reasons wanted - and continue to want - to send our young people to die and be maimed in Iraq, and perhaps soon in Iran. You failed to protect us. Why?

There was enough information available for many Americans and most people around the world to be suspicious of the direction Cheney and Bush were taking us. But you voted in lockstep with those who took us to war. We don't need mea culpas now. We need to know why you made the choice you made then. Why you ignored all the available intelligence that contradicted the neo-con artists pro-war smoke screen.

Now you want a promotion to a more important job. Since you failed at the moment of decision, why should we hire you for the job you now want? How do we know that you won't fail us again when you are making the ultimate decision no longer just one of 100 votes? The neo-con artists are promoting a new war - to take out Iran.

It's basically the same people warning us that Armageddon will ensue if we don't change the regime in Iran. Does that sound familiar?

In "From the Wonderful Folks who Brought you Iraq" in Vanity Fair, Craig Unger says:

"Once again, neocon ideologues have been flogging questionable intelligence about WMD. Once again, dubious Middle East exile groups are making the rounds in Washington, this time urging regime change in Syria and Iran. Once again, heroic new exile leaders are promising freedom.” (Also check Amy Goodman's interview with Craig Unger)

As Paul Krugman said in Monday's N .Y.Times,

"It’s still hard to believe that they’re really planning to attack Iran, when it’s so obvious that another war would be a recipe for even bigger disaster. But remember who’s calling the shots: Dick Cheney thinks we’ve had 'enormous successes' in Iraq."

To paraphrase a popular TV commercial, "Every war begins with "W."

So! What are you going to do now? Are you going to stand up against this extension of the war into Iran or are you going to fall into the same trap again?