Wednesday, June 04, 2008

BARACK OBAMA, JOHN MCCAIN

RNC, Lieberman, Cantor React to Obama's Pledge on Iran

Expect the big story coming out of AIPAC to be Obama's declaration that he thinks the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ought to be designated a a terrorist organization... and how this balances with his vote against that exact designation less than a year ago.

In September, 76 senators, including Sens. Reid, Schumer, Durbin and Clinton voted for it.

The RNC notes:

In October 2007, Obama Described Kyl-Lieberman As A Justification For Attacking Iran. OBAMA: "[The] Bush administration could use the language in Lieberman-Kyl to justify an attack on Iran as a part of the ongoing war in Iraq." (Sen. Barack Obama, "Five Years After Iraq War Vote, We're Still Foolishly Rattling Our Sabers," Manchester Union-Leader, 10/11/07)

· Yet Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) Said The Kyl-Lieberman Amendment Provided No Justification For Attacking Iran. SEN. DURBIN: "If I thought there was any way [Kyl-Lieberman] could be used as a pretense to launch an invasion of Iran, I would have voted no." (Julianna Goldman, "Durbin Says Obama Will Win Iowa Caucus; Disagrees On Iran," Bloomberg, 10/12/07; S.3017, CQ Vote #349: Agreed To, 76-22: R 47-2; D 29-20, 9/26/07, Durbin Voted Yea.)

On Monday, The Obama Campaign Said That The Kyl-Lieberman Amendment Would Urge Our Military In Iraq To Actively Counter Iran. "Obama opposed Kyl-Lieberman because its language said the US military in Iraq should be used to counter Iran, while in fact it has strengthened Iran." ("Obama Camp Response to McCain's AIPAC Speech," Time's "The Page," http://thepage.time.com, Accessed 6/2/08)

Senator Lieberman, The Amendment's Author, Removed Provisions From A Draft Version Specifically To Accommodate This Concern: "Because some of our colleagues thought paragraphs three and four of the Sense of the Senate may have opened the door to some kind of military action against Iran, Senator (Jon) Kyl (R-Ariz) and I have struck them from the amendment. ... That is not our intention. In fact, our intention is to increase the economic pressure on Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps so that we will never have to consider the use of the military to stop them from what they are doing to kill our soldiers." (Jake Tapper, " The Persian Conundrum," ABC News, 10/8/07)

Senator Joe Lieberman, on a conference call that ended a few moments ago: "First I should congratulate him on securing the Democratic nomination. I hope it will be a civil and constructive campaign debate...

"I appreciate many of the very good intentions toward Israel that Senator Obama expressed today. But I also thought, respectfully, that there was a disconnect between what he said today, particulary in regard to Iran, and things he has said and done earlier in campaign and in Senate."

"I was troubled earlier this year when he compared Iran and other rogue and terrorist states to the Soviet Union and minimized the threat. Today he said he thought Iran represented a grave threat. Today he was right."

"That measure was supported by three quarters of the Senate. Obama said it was saber-rattling. But it had nothing in it regarding military action. I hope he will say that vote was a mistake."

"Also, he made a major point during the campaign that American foreign policy in recent years has essentially strengthened Iran, and at one point he almost seems to suggest that our policy elected Ahmadinejad. I just disagree with that."

Representative Eric Cantor said, "The speech had some good phrases and lines in it, but don't think it did anything to dispel the doubts about Senator Obama's commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship."

McCain's senior foreign policy and national security advisor Randy Scheunemann wondered if Obama is living in an "alternate reality where the presence of U.S. troops in the region strengthens Iran."

06/04 11:48 AMShare