Republican senator calls for talks with Iran By Alan Elsner
Fri Aug 19,12:46 PM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050819/pl_nm/iran_usa_dc;_ylt=AncwpbRd2tv4pjXqgRTiy32yFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUlIn an interview with Israeli television last week, Bush said "all options are on the table" if the Iranians refuse to comply with international demands to halt their nuclear program, and noted that he has already used force to protect U.S. security.
EMPTY THREAT
Hagel's response to that implied threat was completely dismissive.
"Quite frankly, what is the military option, what are we talking about here? We lose credibility in the face of the world when we say things like, 'Well just don't forget what happened to Iraq could happen to you Iran. We could invade you, we could bomb you.'
"Oh come on now. First of all, where are we going to get the troops? Who's going to go with us? Where are our partners going to be with Iran?"
"You need to move toward something and what are we moving toward here? I don't see where we're moving toward anything. In fact, I think we're eroding a base of strength that we still have here. We have got to get inside this thing, because this is a very dangerous problem," Hagel said. "I think we're actually losing altitude, I think we're actually making it more dangerous."