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As violence in Iraq escalates and hawks beat the drums of war, people on the ground in Iraq and across the U.S. are urging the Obama administration: don’t go down the same path of military intervention that created the current crisis.

Public Opinion vs. War Hawks

According to a poll released Tuesday, 74 percent of people in the U.S. are against sending combat troops into Iraq. Rather than allowing that overwhelming opinion to shape the narrative, corporate media has given platform to the same hawkish voices who called for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Among the vocal proponents of using U.S. military might are Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham.  The two issued a statement last week calling for “U.S. air strikes, among other military and intelligence actions and additional support for our Iraqi partners.”

In an op-ed published Tuesday, The Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuval asked, “Can someone explain to me why the media still solicit advice about the crisis in Iraq from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)? Or Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)? How many times does the Beltway hawk caucus get to be wrong before we recognize that maybe, just maybe, its members don’t know what they’re talking about?”

Emerging Calls Against War

Not receiving as much media attention are the calls to halt military intervention-by the U.S. or any party-that will claim further lives and further shred Iraqi society.