Katrina vanden Heuvel (The Nation): The Coalition of the Rational

[Dudley_DUright]

Count me in Katrina.

Here's a modest proposal. Let's start a Coalition of the Rational to take back our country from this radical rightwing Administration. After all, these are times when true conservatives are as concerned as liberal Democrats about the damage being done to our democracy and international credibility as a result of manipulated intelligence, preemptive war policy and arrogant unilateralism.

The coalition could bring together a broad, transpartisan group of concerned citizens--from Goldwater-style conservatives, Rockefeller Republicans and former State Department and intelligence officials, to progressive Democrats and religious, labor and student leaders--to mobilize Americans in informed opposition to the Bush Administration's undermining of US security in our name.

Here are some nominations for charter members of the Coalition of the Rational:

*The dozens of active intelligence officials who are coming forward--mostly through leaks in the press--to describe how Administration officials pressured them to exaggerate the Iraqi threat and deceive the country.

*Veteran Intelligence Professionals For Sanity, a national organization of retired CIA, military and NSA intelligence officers who called into question the Administration's rationale for war and is now up in arms over the Bush Team's manipulation of intelligence. Check out the group's statement released last May, which noted in part: "In intelligence, there is one unpardonable sin--cooking intelligence to the recipe of high policy. There is ample indication that this has been done with respect to Iraq....ever before has such warping been used in such a systematic way to mislead our elected representatives into voting to authorize launching a war." The group's recent statement powerfully indicts the vice president and "strongly recommends Dick Cheney's immediate resignation" for his role in deceiving the public, the media and other policy-makers regarding the true threat Iraq actually posed to the United States.

more...

http://www.thenation.com/edcut/index.mhtml?pid=822

[T Roosevelt]

1. Sweet.

That's quite a list she's put together. Interesting how people will stand by * despite the credibility of those arrayed against him.

[ewagner]

2. thanks for the post

Katrina is providing a calm, rational voice that we should listen to.
Moreover, she possesses a clear view of the "big picture" and an even clearer vision of a strong, respected American foreign policy.


To Katrina: :toast:

[Cha]

3. I'm glad we have such highly intelligent ethical People on

our side!!

How can we miss?

[wtmusic]

4. Naive

Uniting "Goldwater-style conservatives" with liberals? Is she out of her mind? The people who are adopting Goldwater's credo of "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice" are the diehards who still support the invasion, regardless of what James Ziglar calls himself.

"The Coalition of the Rational could launch nationwide public hearings and town hall meetings to expose the dangers posed by the Bush Administration. Members could propose sane, alternative foreign and security policies. Its key members could speak out on TV, radio and on op-ed pages, and its institutions could join forces with internet-based networks such as MoveOn and TrueMajority to create a broad-based coalition sufficiently powerful to take back this country from the extremists now running our government."

Hello, is anyone home? It's already happening, and just because we don't all lie together naked in a big pile doesn't mean it won't see fruition.

[DEM FAN]

5. Marry Me Katrina. OH SHIT... You Are Married. Damn.

:D

[Newtopia]

6. Ms VH

I wish Katrina would spend more time on the cause and less time at cocktail parties. Her and Hitchens both kinda disappoint me these days.

The Nation is becoming so dated, so out of touch, so old left. They need fresh new blood that isn't just out to get fat like Hitchens.