US generals "will quit" if Bush orders Iran attack

From The Times in London:

SOME of America’s most senior military commanders are prepared to resign if the White House orders a military strike against Iran, according to highly placed defence and intelligence sources.

Tension in the Gulf region has raised fears that an attack on Iran is becoming increasingly likely before President George Bush leaves office. The Sunday Times has learnt that up to five generals and admirals are willing to resign rather than approve what they consider would be a reckless attack.

“There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether such an attack would be effective or even possible.”

A British defence source confirmed that there were deep misgivings inside the Pentagon about a military strike. “All the generals are perfectly clear that they don’t have the military capacity to take Iran on in any meaningful fashion. Nobody wants to do it and it would be a matter of conscience for them.

Iraq and Iran - a few things you can do

If you're feeling helpless about the situation in Iraq and Iran, I have a few quick things you can do to voice your opinion.

• Senator Barack Obama – who opposed going to war in Iraq back in 2002 (though he was only a state senator back then) – has introduced the Iraq War De-Escalation Act.

  The Iraq War De-Escalation Act makes U.S. policy crystal clear. It stops the escalation now and begins a redeployment to bring U.S. combat forces out of Iraq by March 31, 2008.

  You can become a 'citizen co-sponsor' by signing the petition here.


• Wes Clark, meanwhile, has started a new website, StopIranWar.com.

  Cannot the world’s most powerful nation deign speak to the resentful and scheming regional power that is Iran? Can we not speak of the interests of others, work to establish a sustained dialogue, and seek to benefit the people of Iran and the region? Could not such a dialogue, properly conducted, begin a process that could, over time, help realign hardened attitudes and polarizing views within the region? And isn’t it easier to undertake such a dialogue now, before more die, and more martyrs are created to feed extremist passions?

  Please join the Iraq War veterans at VoteVets.org and me and sign the petition to President Bush today. Military force against Iran is not the solution now, and if we adopt the right strategy, perhaps it need never be. Urge him to work with our allies and use every diplomatic, political, and economic option at our disposal to deal with Iran. War is not the answer.

• You can also sign a petition at John Edwards's site demanding that Congress not fund the escalation.
• And be sure to check out Joe Biden's PlanForIraq.com and NoMoreTroops.com.

For the sake of our troops and our country, please take a few minutes to make your voice heard regarding the situation in the Middle East. America is depending on us.