Threatening Lieberman-Kyl Amendment On Iran filed, and the media is MIA

[babylonsister]

http://www.tinyrevolution.com/mt/archives/001747.html

Threatening Lieberman-Kyl Amendment On Iran

Amazingly, no one anywhere in the US media seems to have noticed that yesterday Jon Kyl (Arizona) and Joe Lieberman filed an extremely threatening amendment on Iran to the FY 2008 Defense Authorization bill. I guess all their time was taken up with the earth-shakingly important issue of newspaper ads.

It's a "Sense of the Senate" resolution, which means it has no legal force, but as the Congressional Research Service will tell you, "foreign governments pay close attention to as evidence of shifts in U.S. foreign policy priorities." If you want you can read it yourself (.doc), but here are the most important paragraphs:

(3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;

(4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.

If something like this passes both the House and Senate, I think Bush could legitimately argue that between it, the War Powers Act and the 2001 and 2002 Authorizations to Use Military Force, he has all the authority he needs to attack Iran.

(via Carah Ong)

UPDATE: It seems one news outlet has noted this—National Review.

[Horse with no Name]

1. It seems someone did their homework

on how to cram legislation through while being in the minority party.
Too bad we couldn't do when we were in that position.:(

[rodeodance]

2. EVERYONE needs to send to KOlbermann

[still_one]

3. The sooner this administration is out of office the better we will be

Hopefully, 2008 will bring us a Congress that can contain these war-mongering idiots

[Cybergata]

5. I'd prefer IMPEACHMENT . . .

before 2007 ends, but it looks like our Congress is a bunch of self-centered, well-to-dos who benefit from the present situation, so they won't move a muscle to uphold the constitution. I can only hope that the people will vote them out of office. I had a real hard time dealing with constitution day and the government mandate that every Social Studies class had to spend the day studying the constitution. We discussed the bill of rights, and the day before I had been at an anti-war rally that was being intimidated by local police. Yes, freedom of speech is protected in the Bill of Rights, ABQ Police Dept! Also, one day isn't enough time, and in my 8th U.S. History classes, my students will spend at least four weeks studying the constitution. I guess I should say studying the fictional document called the constitution.

[still_one]

7. we are really hanging on by a thread. I hear you /nt

[peacebird]

4. Can Reid strip it from the Defense Auth bill before it goes to floor for vote?

How can we help get this out of the Defense bill? Will flooding the Senate with phone calls help at all?

I just hope we pick up two more Senate seats so that our leadership will be able to tell LIEberman to take a flying leap, and kick him off all committees as well.

[robinlynne]

6. my first thought. We should not allow this to come to a vote. period.

[emlev]

8. Call your Senators toll-free at these numbers

800 828-0498
or 866 340 9281

If you post here and say you called, that'll help keep the thread kicked!