Sen. Joe Lieberman repeated his call Monday for the United States to consider a military strike against Iran, saying Tehran is waging a "proxy war" by stoking anti-coalition violence in Iraq.
Iran Has attacked us
Iranian forces helped plan one of the most sophisticated militant assaults of the Iraq war -- a January raid in which gunmen posed as an American security team and launched an attack that killed five U.S. soldiers, an American general said Monday.
Lieberman said the news was a "wake-up call" to the United States.
Military strikes may be needed against Iranian camps suspected of being used to train and equip terrorists who are killing coalition troops in Iraq, Lieberman said.
"The United States government has a responsibility to use all instruments at its disposal to stop these terrorist attacks against our soldiers and allies in Iraq, including keeping open the possibility of using military force against the terrorist infrastructure inside Iran," Lieberman said in a statement.
He added, "Although no one desires a conflict with Iran, the fact is that the Iranian government by its actions has declared war on us."
The senator's comments come as Democrats who control Congress prepare to push for U.S. troop withdrawals when lawmakers return after their Fourth of July break.
Lieberman has been a leading defender of the Iraq war in the Senate. His pro-war views have won him friends in the Bush administration, but have rankled many anti-war Democrats.
"At the very least, I hope that these latest revelations about Iran's terrorism in Iraq will prompt some of my colleagues in Congress to reconsider their demand that U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq," Lieberman said.
"For Congress to mandate a retreat from Iraq will give the Iranians exactly what they want most. A retreat would not only represent a catastrophic defeat for the United States, but an epic victory for Iran, Hezbollah and the forces of Islamist terrorism," he said.(1)
The Surge is working
The surge is working," Lieberman asserted. "So you might say that, in Iraq, we've got the enemy on the run. But for some reason, in Washington, a lot of politicians are on the run to order a retreat by our troops even as they are beginning to succeed." (2)
Wait for Petraeus Report in September
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., says time for an Iraq solution may be running out in Washington, but not in Iraq.
The senator supports a U.S. presence as long as there is "a reasonable chance of success."
Lieberman urged Congress not to draw conclusions on the success of the troop surge in Iraq until after Gen. David Petraeus, the commander in Iraq, delivers a scheduled report in September.
"Time may be running out politically in Washington, but it's not running out in Iraq, and that's the tragedy here," .
Although Lieberman said his response to Petraeus' report will depend on its recommendations, he made clear that he is unlikely to back a withdrawal.
"As long as we have a reasonable chance of success in Iraq, then I'm going to say it's worth it for us to stay," he said. (2.)
Many Republicans are now against the war in Iraq
Republican Richard Lugar led a charge against Mr Bush's policy last week by Republican senators who, like many of their House colleagues, are now convinced that the war is seriously harming both the country and their party's 2008 electoral prospects.
Mr Lugar said, in sum, that domestic divisions had already fatally undermined the surge. "The strident, polarized nature of this debate increases the risk that our involvement in Iraq will end in a poorly planned withdrawal that undercuts our vital interests." (3)
1. http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2007/07/02/lieberman_urges_us_to_confront_iran_on_proxy_war/
2. http://www.abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/story?id=3335589&page=1
3. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/simon_tisdall/2007/07/running_out_of_time_in_iraq.html
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Joe Lieberman: Bomb Iran !! Kill them !! Spill their blood, !! Destroy thier country!!
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