Cautious Optimism For The Anti-Occupation (Not Win The Occupation) Movement: "Another cause for optimism about the current anti-war movement is the definitive inclusion of the issue of Palestine. The strenuous efforts by some to divorce the issue of U.S. support for the Israeli occupation from its more general drive for hegemony in the Middle East were roundly defeated in anti-war coalitions worldwide. Gone are the days of the vulgar single-issue line, where the very real concern about having a clear focus for action was conflated with a policy that bordered on censorship of related issues and causes.

"To understand the more modest numbers we are mobilizing today, however, we have to be honest: some forces that were 'anti-war' before the war started aren't anti-war or anti-occupation today, despite the mountain of criticism they continue to shovel on the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. Their criticism is in the realm of tactical advice on how to safeguard U.S. interests in the world; it is criticism, however sharp, of a friend who has gone awry. To make this assertion concrete, let's examine the case of Scott Ritter."

Cautious Optimism For The Anti-Occupation (Not Win The Occupation) Movement: "Another cause for optimism about the current anti-war movement is the definitive inclusion of the issue of Palestine. The strenuous efforts by some to divorce the issue of U.S. support for the Israeli occupation from its more general drive for hegemony in the Middle East were roundly defeated in anti-war coalitions worldwide. Gone are the days of the vulgar single-issue line, where the very real concern about having a clear focus for action was conflated with a policy that bordered on censorship of related issues and causes.

"To understand the more modest numbers we are mobilizing today, however, we have to be honest: some forces that were 'anti-war' before the war started aren't anti-war or anti-occupation today, despite the mountain of criticism they continue to shovel on the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. Their criticism is in the realm of tactical advice on how to safeguard U.S. interests in the world; it is criticism, however sharp, of a friend who has gone awry. To make this assertion concrete, let's examine the case of Scott Ritter."