On Friday night, the Senate passed by a 90-1 vote an AIPAC drafted resolution telling the president that containment of a nuclear Iran is not an option. If Iran passes Binyamin Netanyahu’s “red line,” the United States must go to war.
As a US President, Barack Obama oppose automatic wars. He wants to keep all his options open. But the Senate gets its orders from AIPAC and AIPAC gets its orders from Netanyahu….
Here is AIPAC’s press release celebrating its belief that war is closer.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marshall Wittmann, mwittmann@aipac.org
September 23, 2012
Senate Sends Bipartisan Message on Preventing Iranian Nuclear Weapons Capability
Resolution spearheaded by Sens. Graham, Lieberman and Casey rejects policy of containment
WASHINGTON — AIPAC applauds the Senate for rejecting a policy of containment of an Iranian nuclear weapons capability and calling for an increase in sanctions against the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.
The resolution (S. J. Res. 41) passed with overwhelming bipartisan support (90-1) and affirms that “it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.” It notes that, as President Obama has said, the window for diplomacy is closing and urges increased economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to come into full and sustained compliance with UN Security Council resolutions.
With each passing day the Islamic Republic is inching closer to a nuclear weapons capability. Just last month the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report detailing the tremendous progress Iran has made in its quest for nuclear weapons. Since May, the regime has doubled the centrifuges at its nearly impregnable Fordow facility from 1,064 to 2,140. It has produced 418 pounds of 20-percent enriched uranium—nearly doubling the quantity since January. And Iran has produced more than 15,000 pounds of low-enriched uranium, enough to fuel five bombs if further enriched.
AIPAC praises the efforts of Sens. Graham (R-SC), Lieberman (I-CT) and Casey (D-PA), as well as the 80 additional cosponsors, to get this resolution passed. The House in May passed H. Res 568, which similarly rejected containment as a policy for dealing with Iran. It was overwhelmingly passed in a bipartisan vote 405-11 with 330 cosponsors.
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Consistently ranked as the most influential foreign policy lobbying organization on Capitol Hill, AIPAC is a bipartisan American membership organization that seeks to strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel. For more than 50 years, AIPAC has been working with Congress to build a strong, vibrant relationship between the U.S. and Israel. With more than 100,000 members across the United States, AIPAC works throughout the country to improve and strengthen that relationship by supporting U.S.-Israel military, economic, scientific and cultural cooperation.
Israel is a Fascist/Apartheid state…what does it make the U.S. in supporting it? Everyone knows the nuclear bomb idea is a hoax to eliminate regional competition…
As an American citizen and registered voter I think it is terrible to give so much money to Israel when they have treated the Palestinians so badly. How can they get away with continuing to build settlements when it is against mandates of the UN? I think we should refuse to give any more money to them until they stop the occupation. I think it is terrible to think we can solve all our problems by bombing Iran. Dale Valaskovic.
It doesn’t even indicate what the “Red Line” is or what it is suppose to represent. As well, how do we know that Iran is enriching uranium, no one can verify it and they are signatory to the Non-Proliferation treaty anyhow and they have every right to enrich, even for other needs which is required for other tech and so on. They, the Israelis bomb these facilities, the fall out will effect not only the region, but the world if they hit those reactors and no one is talking about that and the Israelis believe hitting these facilities will do anything to stop them is none-sense.
This “nuclear Iran threat” is old news:
CSM/2011: “Imminent Iran nuclear threat? A timeline of warnings since 1979.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2011/1108/Imminent-Iran-nuclear-threat-A-timeline-of-warnings-since-1979/Earliest-warnings-1979-84
With aipac’s grating interference in US government’s affairs, and the congress/senate’s approval rating dropping ever closer to zero, the release reveals aipac’s calcified impotence. If/when Israel agrees to sign the NNPT, and Dimona is checked out by a credible IAEA team – only then will anyone give consequence to Israel’s “concerns”. Until then, it’s just a tantrum of hysterical old men staring at the reflection of their irrelevance.
I completely agree, i think it is a tantrum by the Israelis. As well, the US and the French built many Reactors during the days of the Shah which still operate today.
This vote in the Senate is nothing but a good example of election vote pandering and a sign that the Senators are totally ignoring the will of the public here in the US and even that of the Israeli nation both of whom are decidedly against their nations move toward war. OH WHAT OUR POLITICIANS WON’T DO FOR ELECTION MONEY AND INFLUENCE FROM AIPAC AND ITS ASSOCIATES !!!