By: Darcy Scott Martin

The threat of the U.S. attacking Iraq has kept WAND staff and members working at a frenzied pace this fall.

Here in Washington, D.C., efforts against the war have been led by a coalition of groups who see the Bush administration’s strategy of preemptive unilateral attack against Iraq as a full frontal assault on their domestic agendas. Groups like the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Fourth Freedom Forum, Network, Education for Peace in Iraq Center, Peace Action and WAND worked non-stop in their efforts to slow the administration on its march to invade Iraq. In September and early October, WAND staff spent day after day in the halls of Congress talking to House and Senate offices about what options were available to derail or soften the war resolution passed by Congress on October 10. Despite the passage of the resolution, coalition members were heartened by the number of members of Congress willing to ask questions and express disapproval. In the Senate, the resolution passed 77 to 23. In the House, the resolution passed 296 to 133, with 126 Democrats voting against the resolution.

Of the 31 WAND/WiLL women esated in Congress, 26 voted against the resolution. Imagine if that were the representative proportion in Congress! Now that the war resolution has been passed, the debate about actions in Iraq has moved to the United Nations, where a variety of countries oppose the United States’ unilateral intentions. WAND will continue to oppose any plan for invasion that does not have the support of a community of nations.

Outside the halls of Congress, the debate over war was played out in congressional races across the country. Women supported by WAND PAC were attacked by their opponents for being supported by a “radical group” opposed to the war on terror, regardless of the candidate’s position on the use of the military abroad. Our quick response to the misuse of our name in this type of campaign propaganda led to the withdrawal of a television ad made by the Indiana Republican Party.

The threat of war has had the short-term effect the administration hoped for: to remove from the national agenda issues that are important to women across America. Votes on domestic spending, CEDAW, TANF and funding for election reform were all tabled so legislators could vote on Bush’s war resolution and head home to campaign. The momentum lost on some of these crucial issues will mean that they may never get a chance to be considered again.

Despite setbacks in our legislative agenda, attacks against our candidates, and the passage of a reprehensible resolution, WAND members have taken their responsibilities more seriously than ever. WAND chapters have contacted the Washington office and their legislators at every request. Staff helped convene a meeting of 100 groups coming to Washington interested in promoting peace. We will continue to represent the commitment to peace held by WAND members as the movement to prevent war with Iraq expands.