Dear Congressman Chocola:

I was at your town-hall meeting at the South Bend library downtown yesterday. Thank you for taking the time to make yourself available to your constituents in this way. It can't be fun facing a mostly hostile crowd. I admire you for not having your staff pack the room with hand-picked supporters. In this respect you are braver and far more of a statesman than our president.

Speaking of whom. . .

Last week during his visit to Europe, President Bush was often asked about his plans in regard to Iran. As you know, the European Union has been attempting to deal with Iran's potential nuclear capability through diplomatic means. At one point President Bush responded to a question about reports that U.S. military intervention in Iran was imminent by saying the notion was "ridiculous." But he immediately added, "all options are on the table."

I hope that what the president meant was, of course, the United States would strike BACK at Iran if it were to attack the United States or its allies. That's always been our nation's defense policy. I hope he did not mean that another preemptive attack was possible. Because if he did, it means our president has the memory of a fruit fly.

Three years ago when the Bush administration articulated the Doctrine of Preemptive War, it was merely an abstract idea. It said that because of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the world and the advent of suicide terrorist attacks like those on 9/11, a country has the right to attack wherever and whenever it believes a credible threat exists. This was the entire rationale for the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

We now know -- although millions of admirers of the president refuse to face it -- that Iraq had no connection to the 9/11 terrorists and no weapons with which to devastate its neighbors, let alone a country on the other side of the world. The billions of people the world over who vehemently opposed the Iraq invasion and pleaded to let the inspections continue have been proven correct. The concept of preemption has been utterly discredited.

And yet, the president refuses to see it.

The Iraq invasion and occupation has already cost hundreds of billions of dollars and tens of thousands of innocent lives. And it's not over. A list of the coalition military casualties from the past week appears below. On top of all that, the acts of invading and occupying a Muslim nation, killing innocent civilians, and torturing prisoners have only reinforced the recruiting messages of religious extremists bent on terrorism.

Now is not the time to allow remarks like the president?s to go unchallenged. Now is the time to say,
" The president is wrong. I will not vote for another preemptive war. Our nation will pursue justice for criminals, and we will defend ourselves from attack. But we are taking something off the table 'preemptive war' because it's poison."

With great concern,
writing on behalf of
Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition, I am

Ed Cohen

The Bayh Letter has a slightly different opening...

Senator Evan Bayh
Leighton Plaza, Suite 110
130 S. Main St.
South Bend, IN 46601

Dear Senator Bayh:

My friend Dr. Ellyn Stecker has been writing these weekly letters the past few weeks. I called your office a while back to thank you for voting against the nomination of Alberto Gonzalez to become attorney general. I want to add my thanks here for that vote and also for your voting against the nomination of Condoleezza Rice for secretary of state. I don?t believe either of these individuals is stupid or evil, but there should be consequences for the errors in judgment that produced the invasion of Iraq and the nightmares at Abu Ghraib, and those consequences should not include promotions.

As you know, President Bush spent last week in Europe trying to mend fences with traditional allies who opposed the Iraq invasion. While there he was often asked about his plans in regard to Iran.

Etc.

Ed Cohen