Dennis Kucinich, a long-time advocate for the United States government pursing a peaceful foreign policy who served in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat from Ohio and twice sought the Democratic Party presidential nomination, issued a statement on Friday in which he condemns the US government’s killing of Iranian General Qassim Suleimani and calls on Congress to prevent the development of a larger war.
Below is Kucinich’s complete statement:
The extrajudicial-assassination of a top Iranian state official constitutes an illegal act of war against Iran, and risks a retaliatory response which imperils US officials and our soldiers world-wide. The President has been horribly served by his advisors who are playing a dangerous game on the chess board of the Middle East, continuing a discredited neocon agenda which led America into Iraq in 2003.
Here’s what’s happening: The NeoCons have long wanted war with Iran. The US killing Iran’s top military leader is a direct act of war designed to provoke a political and populist response in Iran against the United States. This game can lead to the assertion that Israel, America’s ally, is under threat from Iran. The Neocons can use this “threat” as an excuse to “protect” Israel and enter headlong into a war on Iran – – A war which is neither legal, necessary or in the US or Israel’s interest.
The Pentagon calls the drone strike which killed General Suleimani a “defensive” measure. It was an overtly offensive attack calculated to provoke Iran to war, leveraging Israel’s geographic vulnerability as an excuse to wage a wider war.
Congress must cut off funds and/or invoke the War Powers Act, to force a vote within 90 days, denying the administration authorization, and thereby terminating the US war against Iran and protecting the region from a conflagration.
Unverifiable ‘intelligence’ continues to be used as a pretext, to disastrous effect. Instead of admitting the utterly corrupt basis for the war in Iraq, and at last withdrawing, the US is on course to intensify conflict in the region.
Yes, the US has lost over 4,432 troops who were present in Iraq, NOT because of Iran, but because top US officials lied to the American people about Iraq’s intent to use weapons of mass destruction against America.
Must America risk more blood and treasure in Iraq and now Iran? Our Iraq policy has resulted in the deaths of our soldiers and over one million innocents, made the world less safe and deprived our fellow countrymen of the benefit of trillions of dollars which ought to have been spent otherwise on rebuilding America.
Americans must reclaim their capacity to protest our government’s recklessness in the use of military power which makes America and the world less safe.
Kucinich is an Advisory Board member for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.
