Editing MoveOn (section)

===Anti-war organizing===
Following the [[9/11 attacks|terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001]], MoveOn launched an online campaign calling for "justice, not escalating violence." It collected 30,000 signers for a statement that argued: "To combat terrorism, we must act in accordance with a high standard that does not disregard the lives of people in other countries. If we retaliate by bombing Kabul and kill people oppressed by the Taliban dictatorship who have no part in deciding whether terrorists are harbored, we become like the terrorists we oppose. We perpetuate the cycle of retribution and recruit more terrorists by creating martyrs." Eventually, this led to them working on behalf of [[Eli Pariser]]'s similar 9-11peace.org petition.<ref>{{cite news|last=York|first=Bryon|date=June 24, 2005|title=Rove Was Right about MoveOn|publisher=National Review|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200506241146.asp|access-date=September 25, 2007}}</ref> Pariser later joined MoveOn as its executive director. This led to a period of substantial growth and increased visibility for the organization.<ref name="Hayes"/>

During the buildup to the invasion of Iraq, MoveOn began running a multi-front campaign opposing the war. Activities included anti-war petitions calling for "No War on Iraq". In July 2002, Executive Director Eli Pariser urged its members to oppose the war by sending letters to the editor of their local newspapers, offering sample form letters that members could use. Several of these form-based letters were printed in newspapers including the ''St. Petersburg Times'',<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sptimes.com/2002archive/06/20/Opinion.shtml |title=St. Petersburg Times Online: Opinion |access-date=August 8, 2020 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055616/http://www.sptimes.com/2002archive/06/20/Opinion.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> the ''Claremont Courier'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Readers comments|url=http://www.claremont-courier.com/062902/readercomments062902.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040623044624/http://www.claremont-courier.com/062902/readercomments062902.html|archive-date=June 23, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2021|website=www.claremont-courier.com}}</ref> and the ''Times Herald-Record'' of Middletown, NY.<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=2002|title=Letter|url=http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2002/06/27/27letter.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603172453/http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2002/06/27/27letter.htm|archive-date=June 3, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2021|website=www.recordonline.com|format=PDF}}</ref>

On August 17, 2002, MoveOn launched an [[online petition]] against the war, collecting 220,000 signatures in two months. As it had done with the petition against Clinton's impeachment, it organized volunteers who hand-delivered the signatures to senators and representatives before the congressional vote on the war powers resolution. In October 2002, a MoveOn fundraising appeal raised $1 million in two days' time for what it called four "heroes of the anti-war effort" in Congress who opposed the Iraq resolution: Senator [[Paul Wellstone]] of Minnesota, representatives [[Rick Larsen]] and [[Jay Inslee]] of Washington, and Representative [[Rush D. Holt Jr.]] of New Jersey. However, MoveOn also worked to raise money for Democratic candidates who supported the Iraq resolution, some of whom were locked in tight races in moderate or conservative states, including Senator [[Jean Carnahan]] of Missouri, and Senate candidates [[Ron Kirk]] in Texas, [[Jeanne Shaheen]] in New Hampshire, [[Tim Johnson (South Dakota)|Tim Johnson]] in South Dakota and [[Mark Pryor]] in Arkansas. All told, it raised $3.5 million for the 2002 election cycle.

In September 2002, it issued a bulletin by [[Susan Thompson]], "Selling the War on Iraq", offering "lessons in PR from previous wars" and warning that "the costs of regime change" would "cost a whopping $200 billion". MoveOn predicted that "regular people will probably have to foot the bill" while anyone with ties to the oil companies will probably profit immensely."<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2002 |title=Selling the War on Iraq |url=http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin4.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040707055110/http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin4.html |archive-date=July 7, 2004 |website=MoveOn.org}}</ref>

MoveOn also joined with 14 other organization to form the [[Win Without War]] coalition, which also included the [[National Council of Churches]], the [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]], and the [[National Organization for Women]]. Win Without War in turn helped organize [[Artists United to Win Without War]], a group of more than 100 anti-war actors, producers and directors from Hollywood. In December 2002, MoveOn launched another petition, titled "Let the Inspections Work", with the goal of raising $40,000 to pay for a full-page anti-war appeal in the ''New York Times''. Instead, its members sent in nearly $400,000. With the additional funds, it sponsored anti-war radio spots and TV ads in 13 major cities. Modeled after the famous "[[Daisy (advertisement)|Daisy]]" ad from Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign against Barry Goldwater, the TV ads warned that war with Iraq could spark nuclear armageddon. According to an account in the [[Los Angeles Times]], "To generate buzz - essentially free advertising - for its own antiwar television spot, MoveOn.org hired [[Fenton Communications]], the same company that promoted [[Arianna Huffington]]'s recent anti-SUV ads. ... A week after its TV ad first appeared on the news, MoveOn.org reported that its membership had grown by 100,000. The ad was covered on virtually every major network. It was shown and discussed on news programs in Australia, Pakistan, Russia and Japan. The tally is ongoing, but the ad generated at least 110 television news stories and dozens in print, according to an Interim Media Coverage Report by Fenton Communications."<ref>{{cite web|date=February 4, 2003|title=Building a Buzz for Peace|url=http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0204-01.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803093801/http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0204-01.htm|archive-date=August 3, 2004|access-date=April 1, 2021|website=www.commondreams.org}}</ref> It also attempted to place anti-war advertisements on the sides of buildings, billboards and buses but was thwarted when [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]], which owns the largest outdoor-advertising entity in North America, refused to run the ads.

By early 2003, MoveOn boasted more than 750,000 members in the United States and hundreds of thousands more overseas. As war in Iraq neared, its member base grew and the pace of its activities accelerated. Whereas the Nexis/Lexis news database recorded 155 mentions of MoveOn in 2002, in 2003 there were 2,226 mentions. In January 2003, more than 9,000 of its members, organized into small delegations, visited more than 400 home offices of U.S. senators and representatives across the nation to present the petitions in person. In February 2003, MoveOn teamed up with [[Win Without War]] to sponsor a "virtual march on Washington" that generated more than 1 million phone calls and faxes to politicians opposing the invasion.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CNN.com - Activists hold 'virtual march' on Washington - Feb. 28, 2003|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/02/26/virtual.protest/|website=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

In June 2003, two months after the Pentagon declared an end to "major combat operations in Iraq," MoveOn teamed up again with Win Without War to purchase a full-page ad in the ''[[New York Times]]'' that labeled Bush a ''misleader'' and demanded an independent commission to determine the truth about US intelligence on Iraq, declaring, "It would be a tragedy if young men and women were sent to die for a lie."<ref>{{cite web|date=June 20, 2003|title=Antiwar Groups Turn Their Focus to Bush|url=http://www.voice4change.org/stories/showstory.asp?file=030623~www.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030630210916/http://www.voice4change.org/stories/showstory.asp?file=030623~www.asp|archive-date=June 30, 2003|access-date=April 1, 2021|website=www.voice4change.org}}</ref>

In 2007, MoveOn organized the anti-war lobbying coalition [[Americans Against Escalation in Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Crowley|first=Michael|date=September 9, 2007|title=Anti-War Protests - Iraq - Afghanistan - War - Politics|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/magazine/09antiwar-t.html|access-date=March 30, 2017|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>