A bipartisan group of Senators made an announcement today that if President Obama should need to use the American military to hit Iran he would receive strong support in Congress. The pledge was made on the heels of a Congressional Resolution urging a tougher stance against Iran and ruling out any option of allowing the Islamic Republic to achieve nuclear weapons capability.
Senator Joe Lieberman said that the resolution did not require the President to use force but offers strong encouragement for him to do so.
Lieberman said,
“This resolution is not an authorization to use military force. But in opposing containment, it certainly is, I would think, sending a message to President Obama that if he decides as commander-in-chief that at any point that a military strike against Iran’s nuclear weapons facility is necessary in the national security interest of the United States, then he can expect broad bipartisan support from the United States Congress.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham said that allowing Iran to go on in this vein was irresponsible considering their intentions towards the US and Israel and that everything they are doing looks like they are preparing to build the bomb.
Graham said,
“We’re not going to contain people like that, we’re going to stop them. [The Resolution] It is saying we will not accept a nuclear-armed Iran because they cannot be contained,” Graham said. “They will either share the material with terrorists, is the likelihood, or for sure, create nuclear proliferation throughout the Middle East.So we’re standing with the president, to say that’s not an acceptable result,” Graham added. “I think sanctions can still work, but they will only work if the Iranians believe the military option is on the table.”
White House spokesman Jay Carney said,
“His position is what it has been, which is that we will take no option off the table, but we believe that there is time and space to allow for a diplomatic resolution through the pressure that we are asserting on Tehran through sanctions and other means with our international partners. We are keenly aware of the fact that Iran has continued to fail to live up to its obligations, continued to behave in a way that casts doubt on its intentions with its nuclear program, continued to engage in the kind of rhetoric that makes this process even more difficult for Iran.”
The Senators still wanted to drive home the point that the leaders of Iran could not be trusted,
“They’re not building a nuclear power plant for peaceful purposes . They’ve marching towards nuclear weapons capability. The end game is, sanctions can work and will work if properly applied, but in case they fail … the Iran regime will not be allowed to possess nuclear capability. And if that means military actions, so be it.”
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