As you've probably heard, in a press conference yesterday, President Bush warned that letting Iran get the knowledge of how to build a nuclear weapon could unleash World War III. Given that he is not exactly a student of military history, GWB and his spokespersons are awfully free with their war analogies.

The conflict formerly known as the Global War on Terror (GWOT) has been compared to the Cold War (long hard slog, no end in sight). Iraq is either Korea (long hard slog, no full troop withdrawals in sight) or Vietnam (should have stayed in for a long hard slog, since pulling out caused the genocide in Cambodia). And now Iran getting the knowledge of how to build nuclear weapons -- not even the weapons themselves -- will spark World War III (a short, decisive slog, the literal war to end all wars). Thank goodness the days of fear-mongering and loose charges were brought to an end by the fiasco in Iraq! 

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If the presidential primaries were decided based on candidates' positions on war and peace, the frontrunners would be quite different. Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, and Bill Richardson would score points for supporting immediate withdrawal from Iraq. John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson would merit consideration based on their pledges to work towards eliminating nuclear weapons.

Of course, this is not going to happen. Other factors will intercede, from positions on other issues to money for advertising. But there is a "peace primary" of another sort, designed to promote organizations that have a long-term commitment to fighting for peace and justice. Without these kinds of organizations, the candidate commitments mentioned above will not mean much.

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