Kucinich: House Bill Undermines Efforts For Peaceful Resolution To Iran

[Earth_First]

Kucinich: House Bill Undermines Efforts For Peaceful Resolution To Iran Nuclear Situation

WASHINGTON -Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Ranking
Member of the House Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security,
Emerging Threats and International Relations, issued the following statement today
on H. Con. Res. 341:

"This bill undermines efforts towards a peaceful resolution of Iran's
nuclear ambitions, and puts the United States on a dangerous path that could lead
to war. This bill, and the debate in the House, have an eerie resemblance to
similar debate and resolutions that led to the misguided and ill advised war
in Iraq.

"This bill scuttles the only possibility for a peaceful resolution of this
crisis. Namely, the offer, by Russia, to enrich uranium for Iran to use in its
nuclear power plants. Iran would not operate any enrichment processing
facilities of its own, and therefore would not have the ability to make isotopes
of uranium suitable for weapons. This is the essence of a resolution offered
by Russia to avert the crisis. This is the only diplomatic option available to
us today.

"Moreover, there is no imminent threat of Iran building a nuclear weapon.
This past summer, a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear c
apabilities was released showing that Iran was 10 years away from building a nuclear
weapon. This estimate represents a consensus among the U.S. intelligence
agencies.

"The Security Council option, favored heavily by the bill, thinly veils the
route to a military confrontation with Iran.
"The Administration, covered by this bill, is leading this country to take
military action against Iran. Make no mistake, that is the US program at the
UN, just as it was prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
"If you think Muslim reaction to a political cartoon is bad, what do you
think reaction will be when the US is attack Iran while it occupies Iraq?
"This is a dangerous and deadly course the United States should not embark
upon."

http://www.kucinich.us/

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Rep. Kucinich is a wise man

I hope he isn't a voice crying in the wilderness. And don't think that Muslims around the world are only reacting to those cartoons. They are also reacting to the disdain the US and its allies have shown towards Iraqi families and Iraqi prisoners. Bush's call for a crusade and that general who spoke about Christianizing Iraq and Muslims were also fuel for the fire. Now that Bush has shown he really doesn't support democratically elected governments by the demand for return of aide money by Hammas, any aggressive action taken by the US against Iran could well be construed by the Islamic world as a threat on their faith and way of life.

[tatertop]

2. Won't be long now

There is no way this can turn out good.

[acmavm]

3. As I recall Kucinich was one of the only dems that had the guts and the

integrity to try to warn this country about Iraq as well. Think that maybe they'll listen this time around?

Me neither.

[tatertop]

4. War is coming and there is no way to stop it

God Damn these bastards!

[Armstead]

19. Kucinich was absolutely unyielding in his assertions in 2002-03

I though he may be crawling too far out on a limb back then to say with such certainty "There are no WMDs in Iraq."

Turns out he was totally correct.

[magellan]

5. I'm not surprised by the Rethug support for this

It's the overwhelming Dem support that irritates the living hell outta me. IMO there's simply no reasonable, rational excuse for it.

[pinto]

6. Good answer. When Bushco last sidestepped the "diplomacy" they touted,

we were at war. It's good to remind folks that there are diplomatic approaches, and they may not nesessarily come from Washington.

[MaggieSwanson]

7. K&R

I cannot say enough about DJK's consistant, persistant truthfulness and integrity.

Dennis Kucinich represents the best of the Democratic Party to me, and is the candidate by whom all others will forever be measured.

[Earth_First]

8. Well said!

Kucinich has become the system of measure for political integrity.

[LWolf]

9. For some of us, that's true.

He doesn't get the credit, or appreciation, that he should from most of his own party. They still "ignore" him. What does that say about the political integrity of the Democratic Party as a whole?

[MaggieSwanson]

15. It says that more of us need to get involved

and stay involved. Tides will turn, ebb, and flow. I try not to despair - to remain focused on being the change I want to see and supporting local candidates that embrace my ideals.

The Democratic Party needs shaken up. Remember the old poem?

We are the music-makers,
And we are the dreamers of dreams,
Wandering by lone sea-breakers,
And sitting by desolate streams;
World-losers and world-forsakers,
On whom the pale moon gleams:
Yet we are the movers and shakers
Of the world for ever, it seems.

With wonderful deathless ditties
We build up the world's great cities,
And out of a fabulous story
We fashion an empire's glory:
One man with a dream, at pleasure,
Shall go forth and conquer a crown;
And three with a new song's measure
Can trample an empire down.

We, in the ages lying
In the buried past of the earth,
Built Nineveh with our sighing,
And Babel itself with our mirth;
And o'erthrew them with prophesying
To the old of the new world's worth;
For each age is a dream that is dying,
Or one that is coming to birth.

Ode - Arthur O'Shaughnessy


We, the people, can and will bring about the change we need.

Hang in there, friends!

[Strawman]

10. K&R

Rhetoric matters. Some Dems think they can go along with this bluster to look "muscular" at no political cost. Next thing you know they're boxed in by their own rhetoric and vote to send us into another war for bullshit reasons.

[IndianaGreen]

13. and the same Dems that voted for IWR cannot get us out of Iraq!

and neither will they get us out of the Persian Gulf War II, a war that will see the West, China, and Japan starve for oil, and the dollar collapse!

[Strawman]

22. sure they can

Will they as long as they perceive it is not in their own narrow self-interest? No, but they can be pressured into doing so. They're not leaders like Dennis. They're just politicians. They'll go whichever way they think the wind is blowing. I guess it's our job to change the wind. It would be nice if we could have a Congress filled with a solid majority of virtuous leaders like Dennis, but I don't think that we ever have, and I doubt that we ever will.

[hippywife]

11. K&R

Dennis never disappoints. If only we had a whole congress just like him.

[IndianaGreen]

12. Neocons, neolibs, and their Zionist allies want war!

Let them have this war, for it will bring about the collapse of imperial capitalism, and the Bush dictatorship right along with it.

Let's stop being the firefighters for the pyromaniacs that are running this country. Let the whole system collapse!

Barbarism or socialism?

[Kolesar]

16. Paul Craig Roberts said "go ahead, let Bush attack Iran, ..."

"...that will end his government all the sooner" (My paraphasing)
http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts02062006.html

[RazzleDazzle]

14. Can you post a permalink?

[eridani]

17. Here ya go!

http://kucinich.us/floor_speeches/intl_condemn_iran16feb.php

[Armstead]

18. Here we go again

Feels like a replay of 2002-03.

Kucinich was absolutely right then. But of course he'll be ignored now, while the calcified 'foreign policy establishment" goes along with the hype of the Neo-Cons.

[Totally Committed]

20. Honest to gawd...

will they ever learn?

TC

[goodhue]

21. dangerous and deadly

Kucinich speaks the truth as always