Casey, Specter Approve of War With Iran

Pennsylvania Senators Bob Casey and Arlen Specter both voted for the Lieberman/Kyl Amendment which could authorize military action against Iran.  Here is the text of the Amendment which could be used as a basis for war with Iran:

(b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate--

    (1) that the manner in which the United States transitions and structures its military presence in Iraq will have critical long-term consequences for the future of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, in particular with regard to the capability of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pose a threat to the security of the region, the prospects for democracy for the people of the region, and the health of the global economy;

    (2) that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from turning Shi'a militia extremists in Iraq into a Hezbollah-like force that could serve its interests inside Iraq, including by overwhelming, subverting, or co-opting institutions of the legitimate Government of Iraq;

    (3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;

    (4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies;

    (5) that the United States should designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and place the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, as established under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and initiated under Executive Order 13224; and

    (6) that the Department of the Treasury should act with all possible expediency to complete the listing of those entities targeted under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747 adopted unanimously on December 23, 2006 and March 24, 2007, respectively.

   As you recall Republicans frequently cited the Congressional approval of regime change in Iraq as justification of that war.  This Amendment can similarly be used now for the Administration to say Congress authorized it to go to war against Iran.  This is a terribly provocatively worded document meant only to inflame hostilities between the U.S. and Iran.

Comments

[Kirk Wentzel]

Can you say 'Crusade'.

[John Morgan]

There you go stirring things up again Kirk.

For those seemingly shocked by Casey's vote this is entirely consistent with the views he expressed during the primary. He said at the F&M debate that all options should be on the table in regard to Iran. At least he's voting according to the positions he staked out in the election.

[Ghost of Tom Joad]

Are Casey's kids gonna go to the nearest recruiting station if war breaks out with Iran? Does it tell you something about that crap of a bill(or Sense of the Senater resolution) that Lugar voted against it. Interested indeed.