Democratic Co-Sponsors of Santorum's Iran Freedom Support Act

[madfloridian]

S.333
Title: A bill to hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its threatening behavior and to support a transition to democracy in Iran.

This was begun last year by Santorum, but many are still signing on.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN00333:@@@P
This is the entire list that began last year.

Here is the list of 21 Democrats who have signed on so far, apparently for regime change.

Akaka (HI)
Baucus (MT)
Bayh (IN)
Boxer (CA)
Cantwell (WA)
Conrad (ND)
Corzine (NJ) (Correction: name on the bill, man in the guv's mansion in NJ)
Dayton (MN)
Dorgan (ND)
Durbin (IL)
Feinstein (CA)
Johnson (SC)
Kohl (WI)
Landrieu (LA)
Levin (MI)
Lieberman (CT)
Lincoln (AR)
Mikulski (MD)
Nelson (FL)
Nelson (NE)
Stabenow (MI)

I got this list from a diary at Kos. Maybe they are going along because they can't stop Bush. I had heard of this bill, but I did not realize so many varied Democrats were sponsoring it.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/3/83734/61208

I see there is a comment from someone at Eplubusmedia that they were researching the contents of the bill further to clarify.

[BlueManDude]

1. Once you accept their premise they win the debate

Dems are being set up to blow it again in November.

Oh well.

[AndyA]

3. I can hear it now: "Well you supported it...you voted for it..."

Stupid Democrats. Do they ever learn? You'd have thought the cage had been rattled enough by now to wake them up. Are they pumping Kool Aid through the ventilation system in the Congressional office buildings?

[BlueManDude]

6. Don't worry, it's only the world that's at stake.

the most important thing is to not be called "soft".

[yourout]

2. Lieberman......what a suprise.

What a tool.

[madfloridian]

4. Most recent Democratic sign-ons...

Akaka, Cantwell, Lincoln, Lieberman, Dayton.

I wish I knew their line of thought on this. A lot of the Dems signed on in early 05, but these are recent, very recent.

[madfloridian]

15. Forgot Baucus, he also signed up in April this year.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN00333:@@@P

[xxqqqzme]

5. well, well what a HUGE

surprize! feinstein signed on. I am shocked I tell you, shocked! :sarcasm:

What the hell is Boxer's name doing on this list? - feinstein I expected - Boxer I did not!

[Rose Siding]

7. We wouldn't even TALK to Iran when they had a more moderate pres

And what "threatening behavior"? The words are what these leadership impersonators are willing to send others to war about.

Idiots -And done in the middle of bloody battles born of the SAME sort of power they laid down. Not one of them understands the crisis in our country.

[madfloridian]

8. A recent update on the bill...makes the new sign-ons concern me.

http://www.niacouncil.org/pressreleases/press344.asp

"But the passing of the House version of the Act yesterday has given the senate bill renewed momentum. In the amendment to the supplemental, Santorum also called for an additional $25 million to the $75 million already included in the bill for Iran democracy promotion activities.

$12.5 million of the additional money would have to be given to political dissidents inside Iran, the amendment stipulates.

Furthermore, in contrast to the House version, the amendment calls for the appointment of “a special assistant to the President on matters relating to Iran.” Critics argue that this measure could take the Iran dossier away from the State Department and hand it to hard line officials close to the Vice President’s office.

The effort to attach S.333’s language to the supplemental is likely driven by the belief that Santorum has enough floor votes to guarantee the proposal’s passage using the supplemental as a vehicle for bypassing committee consideration."

The sign-ons recently...Akaka, Cantwell, Dayton, Lieberman, Lincoln.

[BillZBubb]

9. This is another example of why we always lose in the end.

What is wrong with these people?

[iconoclastNYC]

10. Boxer? WTF!!!

All the others are the the typical DLC handpicked Neocon traitors.

[Clark2008]

11. Interesting

Akaka (HI) - Does anything the Republicans in Alaska tell him to do - it's a reciprocal thing of some sort that a DUer pointed out during the bankruptcy bill vote.

Baucus (MT) - It's Montana. They don't have anything but Faux News up there.

Bayh (IN) - DLC. Probably has some war profiteering corporate backers.

Boxer (CA) - THIS one I cannot understand in the least, unless she's just so blinded by her heritage and the words of the nut in Iran (and they are just words) that she's not seeing the big picture. For the record, my husband is Jewish and he thinks Israel is too heavy-handed for there to be any lasting peace in the Middle East. He doesn't completely blame one side or the other - which is fair.

Cantwell (WA) - ???

Conrad (ND) - Same as Montana

Dayton (MN) - Um... Montana syndrome again?

Dorgan (ND) - Ditto

Durbin (IL) - I don't get this one, either.

Feinstein (CA) - Husband's a war profiteer, but there's also the heritage connection with Israel thing, too.

Johnson (SC) - They have Democrats in South Carolina?

Kohl (WI) - I don't get this one, but a Feingold, he's not.

Landrieu (LA) - DLC - War profiteering corporate ties again.

Levin (MI) - Must be the heritage thing again

Lieberman (CT) - Oh, well, DUH.

Lincoln (AR) - ??? Got me. ???

Mikulski (MD) Same here - haven't a clue.

Nelson (FL) - DINO

Nelson (NE) - DINO

Stabenow (MI) and I absolutely don't get this one, either, but oh well.

[madfloridian]

12. Criteria for assistance includes women's rights, free press, etc.

That sort of set off a little ironic feeling, considering we women in the US are losing our rights pretty quickly and our press is a joke.

(b) Sense of Congress on Eligibility for Assistance- It is the sense of Congress that financial and political assistance under this section be provided to an individual, organization, or entity that--

(1) opposes the use of terrorism;

(2) advocates the adherence by Iran to nonproliferation regimes for nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and materiel;

(3) is dedicated to democratic values and supports the adoption of a democratic form of government in Iran;

(4) is dedicated to respect for human rights, including the fundamental equality of women;

(5) works to establish equality of opportunity for people; and

(6) supports freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom of religion.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c109:1:./temp/~c1098KSQyB:e17681:

SEC. 303. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN IRAN.

[IndianaGreen]

21. Iraqi women lost their rights after we invaded Iraq

and are now fearful of more onerous oppression as our Iraqi government works to impose sharia law.

[hopein08]

13. A small correction...Johnson is from South Dakota, not Carolina.

[madfloridian]

14. Thanks, too late to edit. I just posted the list from the Kos diary

and did not bother to check it out. Thanks.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. This is a bill that, **on its surface**, is not unlike the IWR that a lot

of Dems supported. **On its surface** it is the right thing to do. It gives the weight of the nation to the president.

The problem with **anyone** who signs on is **THIS** president, who has done this shuffle before.

[madfloridian]

17. More on what Iranian Americans think of S.333

http://www.niacouncil.org/pressreleases/press263.asp

For immediate release

FOUR OUT OF FIVE IRANIAN AMERICANS OPPOSE

H.R. 282 / S. 333

"Opponents of the bill argued that “making regime change official US policy on Iran is the equivalent of declaring war. And through war, democracy cannot prevail.” They also expressed concerns that a confrontational approach would “prompt the Iranian regime to crack down on pro-democracy forces in Iran, making their work to bring democracy to Iran even harder.”

Iranian-American opponents of the H.R. 282 / S. 333 also believed that funding Iranian opposition groups in exile are neither democratic nor legitimate. “We should not waste tax-payers’ money on exiled groups that Iranians and Iranian Americans themselves refuse to fund.”

[madfloridian]

18. I think we are going to have to get used to the tough talk.

I read some stuff our Dems were doing today, and I think they will out-tough the Republicans. In some of the stuff I was reading, the people could see the Democrats would be smarter about it. Hard to see it though, but I think it will continue.

[IndianaGreen]

19. Bush will use this as authority to attack Iraq, IWR2

I am surprised that Hillary hasn't sign up for it yet. Perhaps she is triangulating that joining Holy Joe and Santorum may be bad for her in 2008.

[JerseygirlCT]

20. Gee, what a surprise to see Lieberman there... nt

[IndianaGreen]

22. There isn't a Bush war that Lieberman doesn't like!

He is so predictable!

Why did Gore pick him for running mate?

[BlueManDude]

23. not enuf muslims can be killed to satisfy Lieberman. n/t

[Zynx]

24. Dayton, Durbin, Levin, Mikulski, and Stabenow really surprise me.

[paineinthearse]

25. The usual suspects

But Boxer, Dayton, Durbin & Levin are somewhat of a surprise.