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Is Congress Pursuing a Backdoor Approach to a War With Iran?
June 24, 2008 - by Donny Shaw
A pair of non-binding resolutions that are quickly gaining bipartisan support and sponsorship in the House and Senate call on the President to block all oil imports to Iran. As the bills themselves state, “Iran must import around 40 percent of its daily requirements for refined petroleum products,” which makes the sanctions a potentially effective economic incentive to keep the country from pursuing nuclear weapons capability. The problem is that it would likely require an all-out naval blockade, which is widely considered an act of war.
The bills both state that nothing in them “shall be construed as an authorization of the use of force against Iran.” But, if they instituted a blockade, Iran would probably disagree. Here’s part of the action clause of the House resolution:
>That Congress—
>
>demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.
As Justin Logan at Cato at Liberty notes, these prohibitions will require policing. He asks, "If the shipment of refined petroleum products to Iran has been “prohibited,” and a tanker sails toward it anyway, what happens? Who will be enforcing the “stringent inspection requirements on all person, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran?”
According to truthout, sources close to the congressional leadership say the bill will likely come to the House floor this week, and “once it hits the floor, it’s bound to pass like a hot knife through butter.”
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Comments
Another PNAC-style ‘new pearl harbor’ in the making…
When coupled with the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002, this gives the administration another blank check to wage war – this time on Iran – in the guise of protecting our force in Iraq. If Congress cannot see through this reportedly AIPAC inspired resolution then we should forget about US elections and vote in Israeli elections and be governed from there instead; at least this would cut out the middlemen!
The only people majking decisions in DC are those with an IQ lower than a snails ass.
and your IQ is ???
The only people making decisions in DC are those with an IQ lower than a snails ass.
If they have even less energy, they will need nuclear energy even more. And if they were not planning to make nuclear weapons, now they will.
MY NAME IS THOMAS FLOURNOY, I PREFER NOT TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS. I AM A WWII VETERAN IF THAT MEANS ANYTHING. THERE ARE VERY FEW LEFT THAT HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THAT WAR. WHEN ENTERING THE ARMY SIGNAL CORP RESERVE IN OCTOBER OF 1942, I WAS REQUIRED TO TAKE AND OATH TO UPHOLD AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THAT WAS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT FOR ME. ALL ELECTED OFFICIALS HAVE ALSO TAKEN THAT SAME OATH, HOWEVER VERY FEW HONOR THEIR OATH OF OFFICE. I CHALLENGE ANYONE TO FIND IN THE CONSTITUTION GRANTING AUTHORITY TO ANY BRANCH OF OUR GOVERNMENT THE AUTHORITY TO BLOCKAGE ANOTHER NATIONS COMMERCE. ONLY CONGRESS HAS THE AUTHORITY TO DECLARE WAR, LETS KEEP IT THAT WAY. THERE WAS NO DECLARTION OF WAR PROCLAIMED BY THE CONGRESS FOR PRESIDENT BUSH TO ENTER IRAQ AND THAT WAS A BIG BIG MISTAKE. LETS US LEARN BY OUR MISTAKES AND NOT REPEAT THEM. THANKS. Tom ww2vet@grandecom.net. ONE OTHER THING….WHEN A PERSON CHOOSES TO USE ABUSIVE LANGUAGE IT IMPLYS THAT PERSON TO HAVE A RETARDED MIND SEARCHING FOR A MORE FFFECTIVE WAY TO EXPRESS ITSELF.
I have long studied and loved the uniqueness and extraordinary accomplishment that our Constitution is. I grieve that it has been so violated and abused that it almost has not power anymore. This President and Congress has allowed this tragic misdirection to go unchallenged and cloak it in lies and misapplications of the Constitution. We will assuredly lose our country, our dream and our light. What our government is doing is a complete betrayal of all of our veterans and active duty. They took the oath to uphold and defend the constitution, not to participate in destroying it.
Please read Scott Ritter’s post on Truthdig.com: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20080714_iran_shows_its_cards/
what I would like to add is “sanctions will not work either and will make the regime stronger.”