Clinton Challenges Bush on Iran
14 February 2007 2:21 pm by Taylor Marsh
Clinton Challenges Bush on Iran –updated below–
cross-posted on Huffington Post
| Watch the video. |
Senator Clinton took to the Senate floor today and got it right on Iran, at
least the biggest part she got right. Mr. Bush needs to go to Congress for authorization
before going to war with Iran. Clinton threw the marker down.
That said, I still have a serious issue with her use of the \”no options
are off the table\” rumble, because it\’s cold war language in a new age
era. An age that after Mr. Bush, no leader of a sovereign nation on earth believes
we won\’t use force. Over and over again I make this point, but it\’s important
to make clear. No president of either party would ever take the use of force
off the table. Any time there is a clear and present danger, the U.S. will protect
our nation and citizens.
To truly move our foreign policy forward and progress from where we\’ve been
the last years, Democratic candidates must have the courage to resist these
right-wing talking points meant to show toughness. There are other ways to express
that fortitude and even though Clinton is a woman she needs to utilize them.
That said, on the Senate floor today Hillary Clinton got it right and showed strength.
Now she just has to believe it and lose the \”no options are off the table\”
lingo. The world got that message a long time ago.
The question is whether anyone will listen to Hillary on Iran, even if she\’s right, as long as she\’s pulling punches on Iraq.
UPDATE (3:41 p.m.): Here\’s the text of Clinton\’s speech, a snippet is below.
We should have such a process of direct engagement with Iran, as recommended by many, including the Iraq Study Group. We need friends and allies to stand with us in this long war against terrorism and extremism, and to contain and alter the regimes that harbor and support those who would harm us. During the cold war, we spoke to the Soviet Union while thousands of missiles were pointed at our cities, while its leaders threatened to bury us, while the regime sewed discord and military uprisings and actions against us and our allies. That was a smart strategy used by Republican and Democratic Presidents alike, even though it was often a difficult one. As we discuss potential evidence of Iranian complicity in supplying arms to insurgents, along with the refusal to suspend their nuclear ambitions, we need to deliver a strong message to Iran that we will not stand by and tolerate this behavior. However, we need to deliver that message forcefully through direct talks.
