To Do: Save the World, Explain the Meaning of Life, Have Lunch
Posted on:: January 21st, 2003
I’m off to Senator Kerry’s office where I’m participating in the set of meetings arranged by MoveOn.org. They’ve got 9,000+ constituents going to 500+ congressional offices today to urge our representatives not to rush into war with Iraq. I’m actually the local PR coordinator, so I have to go put on my plaid pants and seersucker jacket, pommade my hair and pick up some cheap cigars.
Tonight is the last session of my mini-course at MIT. We’re talking about what makes the real world so damn real. It’s 7-9 in Building 1, room 390.
How did it go? I wrote to Kerry about the Clinton Administration’s 1998 Operation Desert Fox. His office wrote back with a form letter basically saying that Iraq deserves to be bombed. I can’t imagine he has changed his tune…especially since he is running for President. Saddest part: I’ll vote for Kerry over Bush — no contest.
It went well. We had two sittings, 30 mins each. We each spoke for about 1 minute. Then the policy advisor replied. I felt that he listened and that he responded non-robotically. He says (and pointed to various statements to back it up) that Kerry will not support unilateral action, believes we’re being distracted from the failure of the anti-terror campaign, and does not believe that even if WMD are discovered an invasion is necessarily the right response. (In response to my question about deterrence working, he said that Kerry asked Powell why “containment” worked for 45+ yrs against a superpower but it is thought not to work against a tinpot dictator.)
If Kerry had voted No in October, I’d be much more satisfied with these answers. The rep said that Kerry only voted Yes because he was assured by Bush that Bush would only go through the UN. But we all know that it was a craven political vote.
Thanks for the update. Kerry’s question to Powell was good. I think I’ll use that one!
Thnaks for voicing opinions that so many thinking people share.