Washington Post article, only Six Dem candidates with Iran views

[slipslidingaway]

Iran Becomes an Issue In Democratic Contest

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/24/AR2007102402712.html?tid%3Dinformbox&sub=AR


Kucinich was the first to speak out on this issue yet his views and statements are ignored in this article. Maybe he should stop presenting all the facts.

:shrug:

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=75276

"Washington, Sep 25

“Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Bush Administration falsely accused Iraq of having Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations conducted inspections in Iraq and concluded that there were no WMD in Iraq. After the U.S. invasion of Iraq the accuracy of IAEA and the UN inspections was inevitably verified when the U.S. found no evidence of WMD in Iraq. Has this Congress not learned from previous mistakes? The IAEA has an actively engaged team of experts that are closely monitoring Iran’s activities. There is and has been a good working relationship between Iran and the IAEA. The inspections that the IAEA perform are essential and it is important that the U.S. does not undermine this relationship. However, legislation such as HR 1400, which is based on the premise that Iran has the intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, contributes to a corrosive environment that undermines inspections performed by proven agencies like the IAEA.

“HR 1400 seeks to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran as a foreign terrorist organization and place the IRGC on the list of specially designated global terrorists and weapons of mass destruction proliferators. This is an exceptional decree by this Congress. The U.S. has never before asserted the military of another nation to be a terrorist organization. Because the IRGC’s main role is to protect the national security of Iran, it would appear that the United States would be better served by high-level diplomatic talks between nations to address concerns related to the IRGC than by broad condemnation and malign designation...


Senate’s Terrorist Labeling = Saber Rattling For More War

http://kucinich.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=75427

"Washington, Sep 27 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) called a resolution the U.S. Senate passed yesterday designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, tantamount to a run up to war with Iran.

“The Senate is negligently using this designation to convince the American public into accepting that a war with Iran is inevitable,” Kucinich said.

“This designation will set the stage for more chaos in the region. It encourages huge policy blunders. It is a run up to war with Iran. It is the beginning of a new series of war crimes. It will continue to destabilize the region.

“This new label provides further evidence for Iran’s leaders that there is no point to engage in diplomatic talks with the United States as if our actions point directly to regime change,” Kucinich said."

[cuke]

1. Obama co-sponsors S970 which designates the IRG as a "terrorist organization"

getting that in before the Hillary bashing starts

[killbotfactory]

3. S970 never went up for a final vote

The vote Obama made on S970, along with other senators who voted for this but against Kyl Lieberman, was to have it go to committee where it would be debated and changed before going to the full senate, but it never made it that far.

[karynnj]

4. That bill was co-sponsored by 67 other people, including Clinton

It is also clearly calling for sanctions, thus it's NAME. Note that the top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee are also co-sponsors of this - and the top 5 Democrats and the top 2 Republicans from that committee voted "no" on the bill that HRC voted yes. The same bill that was pretty universally disliked on DU before the vote.

Here are all the Co-sponsors of S970:

S.970
Title: A bill to impose sanctions on Iran and on other countries for assisting Iran in developing a nuclear program, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Smith, Gordon H. (introduced 3/22/2007) Cosponsors (68)
Related Bills: H.R.3390
Latest Major Action: 3/22/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. COSPONSORS(68), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)


Sen Akaka, Daniel K. - 6/6/2007
Sen Allard, Wayne - 4/24/2007
Sen Bayh, Evan - 3/22/2007
Sen Bennett, Robert F. - 4/18/2007
Sen Boxer, Barbara - 5/24/2007
Sen Brown, Sherrod - 4/26/2007
Sen Brownback, Sam - 3/22/2007
Sen Bunning, Jim - 4/25/2007
Sen Burr, Richard - 5/10/2007
Sen Cantwell, Maria - 4/18/2007
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. - 4/12/2007
Sen Carper, Thomas R. - 9/6/2007
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 5/8/2007
Sen Chambliss, Saxby - 6/27/2007
Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham - 4/26/2007
Sen Coleman, Norm - 3/22/2007
Sen Collins, Susan M. - 4/17/2007
Sen Conrad, Kent - 4/11/2007
Sen Corker, Bob - 6/4/2007
Sen Cornyn, John - 5/7/2007
Sen Craig, Larry E. - 4/10/2007
Sen Crapo, Mike - 4/11/2007
Sen DeMint, Jim - 6/18/2007
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 3/28/2007
Sen Dole, Elizabeth - 4/11/2007
Sen Dorgan, Byron L. - 5/22/2007
Sen Durbin, Richard - 3/22/2007
Sen Ensign, John - 5/7/2007
Sen Graham, Lindsey - 5/1/2007
Sen Hutchison, Kay Bailey - 6/4/2007
Sen Inhofe, James M. - 5/23/2007
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. - 4/20/2007
Sen Isakson, Johnny - 5/10/2007
Sen Johnson, Tim - 6/11/2007
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. - 8/3/2007
Sen Kerry, John F. - 5/15/2007
Sen Klobuchar, Amy - 4/17/2007
Sen Kohl, Herb - 5/24/2007
Sen Kyl, Jon - 3/22/2007
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. - 4/18/2007
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. - 3/22/2007
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. - 3/22/2007
Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. - 7/11/2007
Sen Lott, Trent - 3/23/2007
Sen Martinez, Mel - 6/26/2007
Sen McCain, John - 4/24/2007
Sen McConnell, Mitch - 6/20/2007
Sen Menendez, Robert - 3/22/2007
Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. - 3/22/2007
Sen Murkowski, Lisa - 6/13/2007
Sen Murray, Patty - 6/28/2007
Sen Nelson, Bill - 6/4/2007
Sen Nelson, E. Benjamin - 5/15/2007
Sen Obama, Barack - 4/24/2007
Sen Pryor, Mark L. - 7/12/2007
Sen Roberts, Pat - 4/11/2007
Sen Salazar, Ken - 4/25/2007
Sen Schumer, Charles E. - 6/27/2007
Sen Sessions, Jeff - 4/17/2007
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - 5/22/2007
Sen Stabenow, Debbie - 5/24/2007
Sen Stevens, Ted - 5/22/2007
Sen Sununu, John E. - 5/23/2007
Sen Tester, Jon - 5/7/2007
Sen Thune, John - 3/22/2007
Sen Vitter, David - 4/10/2007
Sen Voinovich, George V. - 6/26/2007
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon - 8/2/2007

It also did not get voted on.

[slipslidingaway]

5. The issue is that once again Kucinich gets no mention in the press

for his statements on the very same issue.

I posted about S 970 at the time the bill was passed in the House, Biden is the only seantor and current candidate who did not sign on as cosponsor. Also s 970 has not come up for a vote.

[harun]

2. What I don't get is that the Republicans want to make Iran

a huge issue in the 2008 election and the Dem's are totally enabling them in this?

[slipslidingaway]

6. Exactly, all one has to do is remain silent or maybe mount a

small protest, but few are willing to really go out of the way to stop the war drums.