The coalition of many groups that has a lot of clout in the antiwar movement in America refused to participate in an antiwar march at the DNC. The march would have easily had 10,000 or more people had they supported it. (Thankfully, IVAW was there to challenge Obama because they and Rage Against the Machine mobilized nearly 10,000 people when they conducted their action on Wednesday during the DNC.)
Based on history, World Can’t wait put out a letter to the antiwar movement which particularly highlighted the pitiful state of the antiwar movement throughout the past decade:
“The antiwar movement of the last several years which confined itself to lobbying and campaigning served to demobilize mass protest. Now this movement must shake off this passive complicity and act once again in a way that is so visible and powerful it can be seen all over the world, especially in the countries that have been targets of this aggression.
An antiwar movement that does not have the principle and the conviction to oppose the crimes carried out by our government; that dodges the immediate escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and the threat of war on other places; that chooses to focus on “domestic issues” when people of the Middle East are counting on us, will commit unconscionable betrayal.An antiwar movement needs to show common cause with the people of the world and not common cause with war criminals. Too much is at stake for the progressive movement to consult with or sound like the generals or the Commander in Chief. Too much is at stake to “wait and see” whether this is all going in the direction Obama says it is.”
This statement, fully supported by those behind the action held in front of Obama’s transition office, is what drew people together. The conviction that the antiwar movement must be something more than what it is brought people together.
That is why I was there. That is why I spoke on behalf of World Can’t Wait and youth in this nation.
That is why I stood in the cold and told people about Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) idea that Obama may have to continue using some controversial torture or interrogation techniques. That is why I highlighted how the U.S.-Iraq Security Pact is a slap in the face to all those seeking an immediate end to the Iraq War. That is why I declared an Afghanistan surge of 20,000 troops to continue this conflict for 10-15 more years (as Robert Gates is saying) is unacceptable.
That is why I highlighted the following key questions which the antiwar movement must face---
How will this movement grasp with the dilemma many of its members created by voting for Obama who was and still is diametrically opposed to much of what progressives, liberals, or peace activists stand for?
How will this movement handle the economic turmoil or the financial meltdown in this nation without diluting the clarity of its antiwar message?
How will the movement challenge the idea that Obama appointments will not have any effect on Obama’s policymaking because as one diarist over at Daily Kos said Obama will be like Don Corleone?
What will the movement do when Obama takes office and does not challenge the crimes committed by members of the Bush Administration or call for the prosecution of former members of the Bush Administration?
If Obama refuses to challenge or prosecute war crimes, he becomes a war criminal. How will we grapple with this reality? Will we speak up so that Obama does not become a war criminal? Will we save a president we desperately want to do good?
Will we take advantage of the recent report released and supported by Sen. Carl Levin and Sen. John McCain and call for the prosecution of people like Donald Rumsfeld who are responsible for the torture which has occurred in our country’s name?
How sad would it be if John McCain is a stronger advocate for prosecution of crimes than Obama?
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