Congress should send a clear message to President Bush that when it comes to deciding whether or not to go to war, he is not the decider.  The American people are the deciders.  It is time for members of both major political parties to stand up for the institution of Congress as a co-equal branch of government.  Under the Constitution only Congress has the right to declare war.

I pledge to oppose any unwarranted acts of aggression against Iraq’s neighbors such as Iran and Syria.  If we are genuinely concerned about what is in the interests of the Iraqi people, we should be working diplomatically with its neighbors, not threatening further war.  Our military is already stretched thin by our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan; we are not prepared to go to war with Iran or anyone else.  For this president to threaten war with Iran and Syria shows his callous disregard for the lives of our soldiers on the front line. It is they who will bear the brunt of any retaliation if he decides to launch an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack.

Many of those in Congress, who claim they were misled by this president in initially authorizing war against Iraq, are now once again allowing themselves to “be misled” into going to war with Iran.  The Senate recently voted 76 to 22 to support a resolution sponsored by Joe Lieberman and Jon Kyl that condemns Iran for engaging in acts of war against the United States.  While it stops short of calling for war, it is widely perceived as the first step in establishing the foundation for war with Iran. 

Such an attack would have cataclysmic repercussions here at home and throughout the world.  We must stop this madness before it begins.