(Sen. Carl) Levin: Bush administration should tone down Iran rhetoric

[sabra]

http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/business/index.ssf?/base/news-41/116940235361920.xml&storylist=mibusiness

Levin: Bush administration should tone down Iran rhetoric


WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee chided the Bush administration on Sunday for threatening military action in Iran to stem Tehran's support for insurgents in Iraq.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., said recent administration statements have provided grist for radicals in Iran.

"Some of the recent rhetoric goes beyond simply keeping the military option on the table, and it suggests that he has the authority and is going to move into Iran relative to trying to stop Iranian support for Iraq," Levin said.

President Bush said recently that the U.S. will "seek out and destroy" networks providing that support. While top administration officials have said the United States has no plans to attack Iran, they have declined to rule it out.

"I think some of his rhetoric has been very loose and plays into the hands of the fanatics in Iran," Levin said. "We ought to tone down the rhetoric, keep our strength, keep an option on the table, speak a little more softly, carry the big stick."

[BayCityProgressive]

1. We just

protested outside all of Levins offices in MI on Friday. Gotta keep the fire under our Dems feet! I am glad he said this.

[Vidar]

5. Well done.

[leveymg]

2. This follows Biden, Hagel, Rockefeller, Reid, even Clinton saying the same

thing.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also denied that the US military intends any sort of cross-border attack on Iran.

The fanatics aren't just in Iran. Their soul-mates are in the White House and the Office of the Vice President. Keep them contained there, and, as Levin suggests, carry a big stick.

[LynnTheDem]

3. I just wanna know one thing; what would America do if ANY nation on the entire planet

threatened to attack America the way America has been threatening to attack Iran? And North Korea? And Syria? And on and on and on?

With the "bUsh Doctrine" now in place, making pre-emptive war the thing, it's rather MFingly stupid to go about publicly threatening other nations.

But then, "MFingly stupid" is The New American Way.

[w4rma]

4. I think the only reason that we've survived the past 6 years is that the rest of the world believes

that the Republican government was temporary and will be replaced with sane Democrats.

And the GOP government has proven to be very temporary.

[bdamomma]

6. Senator Levin do you really think this idiot will do what you say?