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State Department Dissenters to Speak at Michael Moore Event in Cincinnati

Officials Resigned in Protest Over Bush Iraq Policy

Washington, Oct. 25 -- Three former Foreign Service Officers tell their compelling personal stories this Wednesday at a forum with award-winning film-maker, Michael Moore in Cincinnati. They will explain how President Bush’s policies made their day-to-day work as US diplomats impossible and forced them to resign.

The forum will take place at 4:30 pm, Oct 27, in McMicken Commons Center, University of Cincinnati.

“I served the United States for 35 years and under seven administrations,” says Ann Wright. “I resigned from a career as a diplomat – a job I dearly loved – because I could not defend the policies of the Bush administration toward Iraq. Ironically, as a 29 year veteran of the Army Reserves, I could still be sent there at any time.” Ann Wright resigned from the U.S. Foreign Service on March 19, 2003, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Mongolia. Ann Wright joined the Foreign Service in 1987 and served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Sierra Leone, Mongolia, Micronesia and briefly in Afghanistan.

“I left the Foreign Service because I thought President Bush had failed to consider the full ramifications of the war, including the number of casualties,” says John Brown. Brown is a Research Associate at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Georgetown University, with 22 years of diplomatic service in cultural affairs.

“I left the US Embassy in Athens at the beginning of March, 2003,” says Brady Kiesling. “I emptied out my apartment and flew to New York to put forward as best I could the case that US foreign policy was on the wrong track.” Kiesling was the first US official to resign over Bush’s War in Iraq. He served as a diplomat for 20 years, most recently as Political Counselor, US Embassy, Athens.

All three reluctantly became activists and joined Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change (DMCC) , an unprecedented coalition of over 50 career chiefs of mission and retired four-star military leaders which is urging that President Bush not be re-elected.

On September 30 DMCC issued a statement, noting that "The claim that we are safer is the biggest lie of this campaign season." Many of the former officials served under President Reagan and President George H. W. Bush.

For more information visit www.diplomatsforchange.com.