Action Alert From Sen. Ted Kennedy

I received this via email.

Dear Carl,

The war in Iraq is fueling Islamic radicalism and terrorism around the world, and this week we learned that all sixteen agencies in the U.S. intelligence community agree on this critical point.

For three years, the Bush administration has repeatedly told the American people that the war in Iraq makes America safer. In fact, on the recent anniversary of 9/11, the President declared that "the world is safer because Saddam Hussein is no longer in power."

Now we have clear evidence -- the unanimous opinion of every agency in the U.S. intelligence community -- that this simply isn't true. Earlier this week, we learned that a National Intelligence Estimate in April makes the case, in no uncertain terms, that the war in Iraq has increased the global threat of terror, and that the "Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists."

We can't trust the White House to tell the truth about this report. They've only grudgingly released selected segments. It's up to each of us to sound the alarm about the damage that the President's folly has done to our national security.

The National Intelligence Estimate provides clear evidence to make our case, and we've put together a fact sheet that compares its analysis with the rhetoric of the White House. Use it to make sure everyone you know learns about this breathtaking and sobering report, particularly undecided voters or Republican voters:

http://www.tedkennedy.com/NIE

There's never been a more important time to raise awareness about our weakened national security. We have just 40 days left before the election.

Yesterday, I sent a rallying call to every supporter of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, and our campaign has given them an additional $1,000,000 to get our message out and help with get-out-the-vote efforts to elect a Democratic majority in the Senate on November 7th.

We need to make sure that every American understands the true impact of this tragic and misguided war, and the National Intelligence Estimate provides an opportunity to do just that.

According to the Estimate, U.S. intelligence concluded in April that the war in Iraq is a recruitment tool for a new generation of extremists. The White House, in its defense, insisted that "the characterization of the NIE is not representative of the complete document."

So, under public pressure for the truth, the President agreed on Tuesday to release the classified report -- but not the entire document. You can read the public portion of the report, review news articles on the entire document, and spread the word here:

http://www.tedkennedy.com/NIE

Last week, I talked to you about the promise of the Internet for our democracy. This is exactly the time to seize that potential and spread the word far and wide.

President Bush needs to come clean with all Americans and honestly address the weakened position his Iraqi debacle has left our nation in. Above all, we need a Democratic Congress that will hold him accountable for his misguided policy.

Sincerely,



Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Semper Fi