CARAH ONG Ong is Iran Policy Analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation. She said today: “For those who have been monitoring the capture of 15 British soldiers in the disputed waters in the Straits of Arab al Assat, the peaceful conclusion today points to further evidence of how Iran is saying it…

Following are excerpts from the “Beyond Vietnam” speech that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered at the Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before his assassination. He was addressing the group Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam: “I knew that America would never invest the necessary funds or energies…

ROSS POURZAL An Iranian-American human rights activist, Pourzal is president of the Campaign Against Sanctions & Military Intervention in Iran. He said today: “As the Gulf region slides into a cold war, Iran’s maneuvers in the region result from the insecure environment and state of siege that Washington and London are intent on imposing on…

The House Committee on Science and Technology is breaking new ground this afternoon with a hearing titled “Shaping the Message, Distorting the Science: Media Strategies to Influence Science Policy.” The following policy analysts are available for interviews: SHELDON RAMPTON Rampton, research director for the non-profit Center for Media and Democracy, is testifying at today’s hearing…

GORDON ADAMS Adams is a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. After the House voted today to approve the Democratic bill on Iraq, he said: “This outcome is a good first step. It is an important victory for Nancy Pelosi, as Speaker, and an important second message — after the…

ERIK LEAVER A research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies, Leaver is closely following the supplemental. He said today: “Contrary to what has been discussed, the proposed supplemental ensures continued U.S. troops in Iraq beyond August 2008. In addition to the granting of waivers for the President to allow non-combat ready troops and continue…

JOHN STAUBER SHELDON RAMPTON Stauber and Rampton co-wrote the recent article “Why Won’t MoveOn Move Forward?” which states: “MoveOn’s organizing around Iraq has become notably ambiguous lately. Although it talks in general terms about bringing the troops home, specific timetables or meaningful steps in that direction are nowhere discussed. Most strikingly, MoveOn has adamantly refused…

This week, the House is expected to vote on the proposed $100 billion military supplemental. JARED BERNSTEIN Bernstein is senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute. In his most recent piece, “There’s Always Money For War,” he writes: “Okay, this is going to sound really naïve. It’s the kind of question you’d expect from an…

JAMES PAUL Paul is executive director of the Global Policy Forum, which will soon be releasing a detailed report titled “War and Occupation in Iraq.” Parts of the report are now available online. MEDEA BENJAMIN GAEL MURPHY Benjamin and Murphy are co-founders of the women’s peace group CodePink. Benjamin said today: “Gael and several other…

AP is reporting: “A plan to give Utah a fourth congressional seat and the District of Columbia its first voting member of Congress advanced Tuesday, making a floor vote in the House a possibility in the next few weeks.” The House Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the legislation Thursday. ANISE JENKINS MALCOLM WISEMAN…