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.
Sorry for what? Denigrating my time in service? That's disgusting. Who the hell are you to denigrate anyone? God? You should be ashamed of yourself. Get a clue as to how you come across. You have a lot to look inward about.
He’s a liar. Saddam Hussein gave sancturay to the worst of the worst islamic terrorists. Prior to our invasion he had given sanctuary to this diverse crew:
Abu Nidal, al Zarqawi and Abu Abbas. Abbas was directly responsible for the death of Leon Klinghoffer, an American Jew abroad the Achille Lauro.
Ron Paul is a liar, no better than any lying leftist.****
Saddam ran the most or at least the second most secular Islamic nation in the world. He was no friend of the radical, fundamentalist Islamics. In fact, they were a danger to him. The only other Islamic nation that comes close to his rule is Turkey, but they are now under attack by the radical fundamentalists.
Of course, you can have isolated instances where Saddam helped individual radical Muslims, but it was not his general policy as they were a threat to him and his government.
When and if we leave Iraq, we will leave a government that is much more predisposed to accept radical Islam.
isn’t it nuts that the man can preach death to israel and america and no one cares. but insult gay people and then he becomes the enemy
leftists are fruity as all get out
Bwhahahaha......where's your buddy? Try that line on someone who believes it, you're a liberal troll.....have a nice life.
And Michigan continues to be dragged by Detroit. Conyers - what an embarrassing man.
He had probably been coached by the DNC in Bush Bashing, but they had overlooked this line of questioning from their own fold. You could tell he really wanted to say "we don't have Homosexuals in Iran because when we find them, we immediately hang them".
Response by ScreamingFist: Bwhahahaha......where's your buddy? Try that line on someone who believes it, you're a liberal troll.....have a nice life.
Since when is it acceptable for someone to denigrate one's time in service? Is that what FR has become? This is a disgusting thread of posts by ScreamingFist. No class, no dignity, no respectability, no honor. His denigration is slightly upthread, but obvious.
This is of course nonsense belied by history. Saddam gave sanctuary to jihadists, both Shia and Sunni variety. He also allowed ANsar al Islam to roam freely in Northern Iraq killing Kurds. Saddam had a thing about killing Kurds. Saddam ran Iraq.
The notiont that Saddam was a secularist with no ties to radical Muslims is fantasy usually reserved for use by left wing nuts.
Abu Abbas killed your fellow American. Abu Abbas was a Shia Muslim whackadoo given sanctuary bu Hussein. Abu Zarqawi and Abu Nidal Sunni Muslim whackjobs givern sanctuary by Hussein. Kind of blows up your whole thesis, no?
hehehe, crying to the admin
The neocons, who believe that we should be imposing our way of government all over the world. They believe that by waving the magic wand of Democracy that people, who have only known totalitarian governments, will suddenly end government corruption and install the rule of law.
Heck, even though our government people are probably the least corrupt in the world, there is still tons of corruption in our government.
RP is probably the least corrupt politician that I have ever seen. For that reason alone, we need to elect him president.
Depends on what kind of trouble, doesn’t it? :)
I’m glad things are going well for you, too!
Yep. Some people need to be sent up; disgusting ones like yourself.
No further posts to me. I don't waste my time on trash.
“Detroit continues its slide into 4th world status.”
And trying to take Michigan with it.
PSSST, offense can be alleviated by departing bcsco.
It's that easy.
It really is. : )
What's obvious is that a real military man wouldn't have taken the slightest insult.......especially after being apologized to, go back to DU....
Jimmy Carter had that distinction.
He made a good president, didn't he?
Knock off the personal attacks.
Okay, so Ron Paul is going to be our next POTUS, right?
We are a country lacking corruption and inhabited by 300,000,000 wanton of no corruption people so what's the worry?
He's got it in the bag!
Trust me.../evil grin
What's obvious is that a real military man would never denigrate anyone else's time in service, apology accepted or not. Never! Ever!
I have no compunction to explain or defend my military time to you or anyone else. You want to believe I'm lying about it? Go ahead. You're the fool, not me.
Now, drop dead.
Saddam Hussein paid bounty to Islamic Jihad for Israeli and American scalps.
And finally, Saddam Hussein was a Muslim, the cutting off of heads variety and for the occasional chuckle the gassing of Iraqi Kurds which puts him smack in the middle of the muslim terrorist camp.
Secular? Very funny!
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