MoveOn.org, an email-based political group formed during the Clinton impeachment years (“Censure and move on!”), is asking us Americans to call our senators to register our protest against the upcoming war against Iraq. Although I can’t find anything good to say about Saddam, W’s longing to overthrow him seems to me to have one clear, under-riding motivation: We are watching a titanic Oedipal struggle over which of the George Bushes gets to sleep with Barbara.

Here are the operative bits of the MoveOn message:

The Senate hearings may be the last public forum in which serious questions can be raised about this upcoming conflict. Please call your Senators at the numbers below. Make sure each staffer you talk to knows that you’re a constituent, and that you understand the Senate has begun hearings on Iraq. State your deep concern and ask your questions. Ask if you will be receiving a written response from your Senator. Here are some sample questions. Your own words are always best.

What is the concrete evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction? How long will American troops be in Iraq? What’s the objective? What’s the plan to get out?

Do the State Department and Secretary of State Colin Powell support this war? What about the top military brass?

Why don’t our allies support this war?

If we attack, will Iraq find new allies in the region?

How many Americans will die in such a war? Iraqis?

How much money will such a war cost?

Why is America now attacking without explicit provocation?

President Bush is seen by people in other countries as pursuing a strange vendetta. Is the Bush administration pulling our country into a family grudge match?

You can reach your Senators by calling the Capitol Switchboard at:

202-224-3121 You can also call the other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Their numbers are:

Chair Joseph Biden (D-DE) 202-224-5042
Ranking Member Jesse Helms (R-NC) 202-224-6342
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) 202-224-3553
Christopher Dodd (D-CT) 202-224-2823
Bill Nelson (D-FL) 202-224-5274
Richard Lugar (R-IN) 202-224-4814
Sam Brownback (R-KS) 202-224-6521
John Kerry (D-MA) 202-224-2742
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD) 202-224-4524
Paul Wellstone (D-MN) 202-224-5641
Chuck Hagel (R-NE) 202-224-4224
Robert Torricelli (D-NJ) 202-224-3224
Gordon Smith (R-OR) 202-224-3753
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) 202-224-2921
Bill Frist (R-TN) 202-224-4944
George Allen (R-VA) 202-224-4024
Russ Feingold (D-WI) 202-224-5323
John Rockefeller (D-WV) 202-224-6472
Michael Enzi (R-WY) 202-224-3424

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