Tom Perriello was born and raised in Albemarle County, VA.  A product of the local public and private school system, he went on to Yale University for both his undergraduate and law degrees.  After law school he shipped out for West Africa, where he worked with local groups to support peace and reconciliation in Liberia and Sierra Leone.  Ultimately, he acted as Special Advisor and spokesperson for the International Prosecutor that helped “force Liberian dictator Charles Taylor from power without firing a shot”.  Since returning to the United States in 2004, he helped to found the progressive religious groups FaithfulAmerica.org and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good.  These organizations “bring together faith communities to fight for children’s health care, supporting a higher minimum wage, eliminating torture, and responsible solutions in Iraq”.

Mr. Perriello views Israel as one of the most “dramatic and exciting creations of the international community” in the 20th century and believes that a permanent moral and strategic relationship exists between the U.S. and Israel.  He believes that being “pro-Israel” means achieving a U.S.-backed two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.  He also believes that the executive branch should be left the space to pursue diplomatic accords and that the legislative branch should not tie its hands.  

Mr. Perriello has a passion for the rule of law, a commitment reinforced by his experiences in Africa, which showed that getting rid of dictators is possible without unilateral military invasion.  He believes that the U.S. should use all its assets, including increased support for our intelligence and diplomatic forces, to advance peace and security.  In keeping with this outlook, he co-founded Avaaz.org, a website in 12 languages (including Hebrew, Arabic and Farsi) that is devoted to confronting “problems without borders”, including the pursuit of Middle East peace and a binding agreement on carbon emissions.   

On Iraq, Mr. Perriello has been an articulate critic not only of the Iraq war itself but also of those who believe that the U.S. can leave behind a humanitarian and strategic crisis of over two million Iraqi refugees. He was an initial signatory of the “Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq,” and had previously helped to develop an alternative strategy in Iraq that focused on political solutions to push for a new power-sharing arrangement. His experience as an international security consultant for the International Center for Transitional Justice and The Century Foundation lend extra credibility to his critique.  

On Iran, he has said that it is unacceptable for the Iranian regime to have nuclear weapons, but argues that “the situation we find ourselves in today is a result of abject failure by both Presidents Clinton and Bush to salvage or replace the Non-Proliferation Treaty.  President Bush has once again made things worse by choosing strategies of talking tough but negotiating weak.  In fact, his tactics have repeatedly strengthened Ahmadinejad's hand.”  

J Street couldn’t agree more with Mr. Perriello on the need to stop “talking tough but negotiating weak.”  It was our great pleasure to endorse such a compelling and well-spoken candidate.

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