Pirate's Cove

The Surrender Monkey is not sure what to think of recent comments by Democrats, particularly Rep. Gary Ackerman, about Iran

Frustrated U.S. lawmakers from both sides of the aisle slammed the Bush administration Thursday for an Iran policy they charged lacks direction and has failed to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

In an often contentious joint hearing, House committees dealing with foreign affairs, the Middle East, terrorism, nonproliferation and trade said the United States has not imposed strict enough sanctions against Iran to stop it from advancing its nuclear program.

“Within the next two years, there is a real possibility that Iran will have the means to make an atomic bomb,” said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York. “The reason for this awful truth is that they wanted it more than we wanted to stop them.”

“Future generations of Americans will neither understand nor forgive this appalling foreign policy failure,” he added.

Last time I checked, it is really the job of the Congress to impose actual sanctions, but, moving past that, Bush has been doing exactly what the liberals have said he doesn’t do, namely, working with others and going through the United Nations. I’m not quite sure how it is Bush’s fault that the United Nations has failed to impose stronger sanctions, but, consider that so far, in this whole debate, Democrats have been whining about taking a tough stand with Iran, something they did not really want to do.

And, when imposing sanctions, one must have a stick. The Democrats started saying “don’t you dare even consider bombing Iran, much less invade.”

Democrats applauded and said “see, we told you!” when the NIE came out saying that Iran gave up their nuclear bomb program. They were then rather quiet when other intel services, plus the U.N., said “nope, wait a minute, they are still working to get the bomb,” which is exactly what the Iranians have been telling the world.

Jeffrey Feltman, the State Department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the Middle East, told the House committees there was some evidence the approach was working, noting that firms and banks around the world are curtailing business with Iran because of the risks involved.

“Our hope is that Iran’s calculus will change as this incremental pressure increases,” Feltman said.

Ackerman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, countered that “having a policy of hope is horse dung,” charging the sanctions have not changed Iran’s behavior.

I’m guessing Ackerman is a Clinton supporter.

Telling Iran that we will impeach Bush if he attacks them to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions is also horse dung