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Senators Warn White House on Iran

Thirty Senators have signed a letter sent to President Bush today, expressing concern with the administration's increasingly bellicose rhetoric on Iran.

"We are writing to express serious concern with the provocative statements and actions stemming from your administration with respect to possible U.S. military action in Iran," the letter states. "These comments are counterproductive and undermine efforts to resolve tensions with Iran through diplomacy."

"We wish to emphasize that no congressional authority exists for unilateral military action against Iran," it continues.

Among the thirty members who signed, Senators James Webb, John Kerry, Robert Byrd, Dick Durbin, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chris Dodd, Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein, Herb Kohl, Byron Dorgin, Jack Reed, Max Baucus, Debbie Stabenow, Claire McCaskill, Barbara Boxer, Daniel Akaka, Tom Harkin, Thomas Carper, Amy Klobuchar, Jay Rockefeller, Robert Casey, Maria Cantwell, Patty Murray, Sheldon Whitehouse, Sherrod Brown, John Tester, Ron Wyden, Bernie Sanders, and Barbara Mikulski.

You can read it here.

Meantime, as David Kurtz points out, it is notable that Vice President Cheney gave a speech today at the American Legion in Indiana in which he did not once mention Iran. An accidental omission? I doubt it.

More here and here.

Update: Now Barack Obama has introduced his own Iran measure. "Obama introduced a Senate resolution late Thursday that says President George W. Bush does not have authority to use military force against Iran, the latest move in a debate with presidential rival Hillary Rodham Clinton about how to respond to that country's nuclear ambitions."


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Posted by Laura Rozen on 11/01/07 at 2:48 PM | E-mail | Print | Digg | de.licio.us | Reddit | Newsvine | Yahoo! MyWeb | StumbleUpon | Netscape | Google |

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Comments

wow!
now that's funny, coming just after a 79 to 22 vote from the senate asking George Bush to declare a portion of the Iranian government's military "a terrorist organization"!!

That means that a number of senators (Hillary Clinton, Dick Durbin, Dianne Feinstein, Herb Kohl, Byron Dorgan, Jack Reed, Max Baucus, Debbie Stabenow, Daniel Akaka, Thomas Carper, Robert Casey, Jay Rockefeller, Patty Murray, and Barbara Mikulski. every one Democrats) voted on Sept. 26 to urge Bush to rattle his saber at Iran
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00349#position
now they are criticizing him for doing just that!
they seem a bit duplicitous to me, trying to have it both ways, so if it turns out well they can say "i supported this", and if it's another cluster f#@k, they'll say "i opposed that".

Posted by: jet on 11/01/07 at 4:13 PM  Respond

If we do not stand up to the sctions that this President is trying to take against what he alone feels are great threats to America, we are running a risk of giving him permission to create a new war in which the whole world might be in danger. This President will do all that's necessary to make sure he those not leave office when his time runs out. Congress will have to do their job and impose their will on the most powerful executive in the world, their own CEO.

Posted by: Jerry pena on 11/04/07 at 12:31 PM  Respond

Jerry, in late sept., 76 senators, including a majority of the democratic senators, urged george bush to declare part of Iran's military a "foreign terrorist organization".
www.iht.com/articles/2007/09/27/america/guard.php

a week earlier in the house, they passed, by a 397-16 vote, a proposal by Lantos, D-Calif., aimed at blocking foreign investment in Iran. the bill would bar the president from lifting sanctions.
www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8RSJ5VO1&show_article=1

it's more than just the actions of the president we need to stand up against.
it's also the actions of the democratically controlled congress
they are, in essence, already giving him permission by the way they've been voting up his 'anti-Iran' agenda

Posted by: jet on 11/04/07 at 1:25 PM  Respond

What about Iran's threat? Have we not seen or heard the lunatic's antics as he continually spouts off his hatred towards America? Do we stick our heads in the sand?

At least Jet has the clarity of thought to point out the two-faced agenda of those in our congress, saying one thing out of one side of their mouth and saying the exact opposite out of the other. I in no way support the egotistical character of Bush, but we need to have SOME plan in play or formulated before an Iranian crisis is started. Especially considering the recent Pakistanian lunacy.

Posted by: Suzanne on 11/05/07 at 12:56 PM  Respond

A must read for anyone wanting to glimpse the backroom machinations which will result in our attack upon Iran is "Target Iran" by Scott Ritter. It gets absolutely no press whatsoever because the prime movers bwehing this looming crime are media untouchables. Guess who.

Posted by: Frank on 11/06/07 at 1:45 PM  Respond

WHO WROTE THE PATRIOT ACT?

Posted by: martinchill on 11/07/07 at 4:15 PM  Respond

["WHO WROTE THE PATRIOT ACT?"]

who knows?!?!

it was sponsored by Rep James Sensenbrenner, Jr. of Wisconsin (father of 'Real ID', or 'National ID Card'), and Rep Michael Oxley of Ohio .. couple of republicans
but you can bet they didn't sit down and draft the 342 pages personally
they had anonymous, unelected staff members write the thing up

that's the way congress operates today, and they don't even bother reading the bills they vote on
in this particular case, it was introduced in congress and then voted on almost immediately
then when the shit hit the fan over what was in it, you had democrats saying to the press: 'none of us knew THAT was in the bill when we voted for it!'
beautiful excuse, and that's not the only time we've heard it!

personally, i lay equal blame for the p.o.s. on each and every member who voted for it without knowing what it said

Posted by: jet on 11/07/07 at 4:51 PM  Respond

If we're crazy enough to go to war with Iran - what do I mean 'if'? The point is that this seems like we're in a self-destructive stage in our nation. Korea and Vietnam were shitty enough. This is madness. It's like our democracy is in it's rebellious teen years and has begun to be a 'cutter'. No wonder other countries want to give us a big smack.

Posted by: Paul Miller on 11/08/07 at 5:12 AM  Respond

Why are Americans going nuts over Iran's nuclear ambitions. We dealt with Russia having nuclear weapons with no problem. Is it that we don't understand the will of other people to determine their own fate and not be strong-armed by the only nation that has dropped an atomic bomb on civilians? They will have nuclear weapons, if for no other reason than to protect themselves from us. GETOVER IT.

Posted by: Marcus on 11/08/07 at 4:38 PM  Respond

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