The Washington Independent » Iran resolution

Republicans Nudge Democrats Over Iran Resolution

David Weigel — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:53:39 +0000

There’s some static between Democratic and Republican members of Congress in favor of the Iran Resolution. After Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) used her time to talk about Iran’s nuclear program, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) gently shifted the focus back to “the people of the Iran.” Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) very subtly attacked the White House’s response to “what could be another Tiananmen”—America, he said, would “not remain silent.”

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the minority whip who has put out blistering statements about the White House’s response, spoke loudly and emotionally about “America’s moral responsibility to speak out on the protection of human rights wherever they are violated” — hint, hint. “I urge President Obama to follow the lead of this House,” Cantor said.

Berman kept taking moments in between the Republican speeches to argue that the House and the White House had the same goal. He can’t be surprised that

Next up: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), who has called the president a “cream puff” for not engaging with Iran. He warned that more silence would be a “betrayal of our fundamental principles” and a show of “weakness,” and reminded the House that he had been a speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan.

“He, too was told to tone down his rhetoric,” Rohrabacher said, smiling. “With his strong words, he ended the Cold War.”

Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) followed up: “The president of the United States has been silent and confused.”

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House Debating Mike Pence’s Iran Resolution

David Weigel — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:27:00 +0000

Right now, Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) is speaking in favor of H.Res. 549, the resolution introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) and reworked by the Democratic chairman of the foreign relations committee to endorse the resistance in Iran.

Berman is sort of hedging his bets in his floor speech: “It is not a judgment of who won the Iranian election” and “We have no interest in interfering in Iran’s internal affairs. That era has ended.”

Mike Pence’s Iran Resolution

David Weigel — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:46:24 +0000

The Indiana Republican’s office sends it over. It’s brief, with a preamble that quotes the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and a soaring conclusion:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

1) expresses its support for all Iranian citizens who struggle for freedom, human rights, civil liberties, and the protection of the rule of law;

2) condemns the ongoing violence against demonstrators by the Government of Iran, pro-government militias, and affiliated entities against the people of Iran, which has escalated since the June 12, 2009, process of selecting Iran’s next political leader; and

3) affirms the universality of individual rights and the importance of democratic and fair elections.

Pence has started to get some media pushback from foreign policy experts who think the United States should stay out of the fray here.

Here’s the resolution in full, after the jump:

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