Who do you want to decide on any possible attack on Iran? Bush or Congress...

[Tom Joad]

Poll question: Who do you want to decide on any possible attack on Iran? Bush or Congress...

Iran Language Draws Opposition as Democrats Near Agreement on Supplemental

CQ TODAY -- March 8, 2007
By Jonathan Allen, CQ Staff

Hawkish pro-Israel lawmakers are pushing to strike a provision slated for the war spending bill that would, with some exceptions, require the president to seek congressional approval before using military force in Iran.

The influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee also is working to keep the language out, said an aide to a pro- Israel lawmaker.

The language is likely to spark an internal battle among House Democrats, some of whom fear an expansion of the Iraq War into Iran and others who are wary of sending a signal to Tehran that Congress wants to take the use of force off the table.

Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois predicted that the language would ultimately not be included in the supplemental on the House side, although it is favored by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; John P. Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the Appropriations Defense Subcommittee; and some Jewish lawmakers.

But a Democratic leadership aide said there are no plans to remove the provision.

“There’s heat,” the leadership aide acknowledged. “We’ve heard their concerns, but we think it’s likely to remain on the bill.”

Source TPM Cafe M.J. Rosenberg

[TomInTib]

1. Who cares what we think (to paraphrase the idiot)?

The Israelis are calling the shots now.

[David__77]

4. It's not so much the Israelis as the American colleagues of the Israeli right.

Israel, as a nation state, isn't the issue so much as the current in US politics, which is bipartisan, that seeks to use Israel as a battering ram for "global democratic revolution," particularly in southwest Asia/north Africa.

[patrice]

5. That's a self-fulfilling prophecy. They are if we just bend over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What are you going to DO about it?

Are you a slave? Or a free man?

[kath]

2. Helloooooo, Congresscritters - YOU are the ones to whom the Constitution grants

the power to declare war.
It's WAY past time that all you fokkers start following your oath of office and start protecting and defending the Constitution, dammit.

[Tom Joad]

6. yeah, strangely that's been ignored since '41. It's been a living nightmare of

foreign interventions since then. Not that congress hasn't authorized some real criminal ventures of its own, but putting the power in the Executive branch is not wise.

Putting it in the hands of George W. Bush borders on criminal insanity.

[patrice]

8. Please, please call them. And give them a piece of your mind.

They're calling this a bargaining chip, to get cooperation from Iran on the nuclear issues. Read that a GAMBLING CHIP that is!

Like there's no other way to get compliance.

And Israel has hundreds of nukes, it's in NO danger. Besides which we can demonstrate our support for Israel in other ways.

This MAKES me SOOOOOOOO angry - from the same folks who gave us the IWR. It's hard to believe the have NO awareness of what this means to us.

:grr: We ARE War Slaves. :grr:

[patrice]

3. Find anyone and everyone you can in your district and tell them

about this and give them the contact information for their Representative and their Senators.

That's what I've been doing.

I CANNOT BELIEVE these people are DIVIDING OUR PARTY like this AND UNDERCUTTING SPEAKER PELOSI!!!!!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

I swear to God, if the Dems do this, I'll vote Republican if they give me Hagel or Ron Paul and if they don't give me H. or RP, I may just sit this one out.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Fuck him and the DLC horse he rode in on

About time some lines were drawn here.