Posted on 09/25/2007 11:12:13 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress signaled its disapproval of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a vote Tuesday to tighten sanctions against his government and a call to designate his army a terrorist group.
The swift rebuke was a rare display of bipartisan cooperation in a Congress bitterly divided on the Iraq war. It reflected lawmakers' long-standing nervousness about Tehran's intentions in the region, particularly toward Israel—a sentiment fueled by the pro-Israeli lobby whose influence reaches across party lines in Congress.
"Iran faces a choice between a very big carrot and a very sharp stick," said Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. "It is my hope that they will take the carrot. But today, we are putting the stick in place."
The House passed, by a 397-16 vote, a proposal by Lantos, D-Calif., aimed at blocking foreign investment in Iran, in particular its lucrative energy sector. The bill would specifically bar the president from waiving U.S. sanctions.
Current law imposes sanctions against any foreign company that invests $20 million or more in Iran's energy industry, although the U.S. has waived or ignored sanction laws in exchange for European support on nonproliferation issues.
In the Senate, Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., proposed a nonbinding resolution urging the State Department to label Iran's military—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—a terrorist organization.
The Bush administration had already been planning to blacklist a unit within the Revolutionary Guard, subjecting part of the vast military operation to financial sanctions.
The legislative push came a day after Ahmadinejad defended Holocaust revisionists, questioned who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks and declared homosexuals didn't exist in Iran in a tense question-and- answer session at Columbia University.
The Iranian president planned to speak Tuesday at the U.N. General Assembly.
Lantos' bill was expected to draw criticism from U.S. allies in Europe. During a visit to Washington last week, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner told lawmakers that France opposes any U.S. legislation that would target European countries operating in Iran. He argued that such sanctions could undermine cooperation on dealing with Iran.
Who was the seller Ron?
Like I said, when there’s a debate, I’m game...
That is all well and good but the man has not been able to get one piece of legislation passed in his ten terms in Congress. He has no support. He will get absolutely nothing accomplished.
Oh and his isolationist platform makes him dangerous. I question his sanity.
If you're suggesting I'm ejonesie22, I'm not. We know each other and have the similar political viewpoints. I suggest you look at posts (like the one where I asked for a link because I'd been gone for a week). Our histories are quite open for review.
And I apologized and you accepted
Yes, I did. But your use of the term sanity needed rebuttal. And what better way to do that than to show how your were way off base? The apology still stands, but it can be retracted if you still want to act impetuously.
You heard wrong, Iraqi deadenders are being supplied by the Quds Force which reports directely to the Ayatollah of Iran.
Like I said, when do Conservatives support lantos?
What a maroon...
***He’s been purged from the party here on Free Republic***
That would be a shame as it would put FR in the same class as the Democratic forum of the late 90’s, no dissenting opinion allowed.
Doesn't that put Ron Paul too far left even for Bizzaro World? ROTFLOL
Looks like Jeff Flake and Roscoe Bartlett (my congressman) voted against as well. Jeff Flake I can understand; he’s a libertarian sort. But what the he**’s up with Roscoe?
No Ron Paul is the genius who thinks America created jihadism. That jihadism preceded America by more than a millenium seems to fly right over his pointed head.
Republicans didn't.
Republicans used to oppose anything that smelled of creeping socialism.
Socialism and the CIA are hand in hand.
Show me a link between the two radioman.
ROTF!
But he doesn’t like Paul, therefore he’s not a Republican by your standards...
America stand with her allies. If they are attacked we will respond in kind. Iran threatens to eliminate Israel and if given the opportunity will do so. Israel has told the EU and the UN that they will not allow Iran to create the very weapon that threatens their very existence. Allowing Israel to act alone against Iran is very very bad for the US, our allies and the world. Ron Paul can shove his head in the sand, and up Soros’s and his kind’s ass for all I care. He will never be president, and thank God for that.
Sorry, you're too late. It was a chicken Alfredo with rice. The rest is mine for tomorrow night since she's closing the store. And, no, I'm not going to share.
But...you already knew that since we're the same people.
Sheesh!
More than wacky — he’s dangerous and teeters on the Hate America edge.
Thanks for the assessment.
That’s a surprise.
Come to think of it, that's worth a Maryland "Freak State" PING.
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