quote:
Originally posted by Bama Sunshine:
"If George W. Bush launches a pre-emptive war on Iran, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi will bear full moral responsibility for that war. For it
was Pelosi who quietly agreed to strip out of the $100 billion funding
bill for Iraq a provision that would have required President Bush to
seek congressional approval before launching any new war on Iran...."
I am still in the dark as to WHO said this, and what it's based on. I cannot see the logic thread that leads from a Premtive strike ordered by Bush, to Pelosi's responsibility.
This Article, in
The Nation puts the responsibility on conservative Democrats who insisted that the Iraq Spending bill not include a prohibition of military action against Iran. Pelosi favored that provision, and was pressured to remove it to get passage of the Iraq funding legislaton with less restrictive provisions.
To hold Pelosi responsible for the demands of others is improper.
quote:
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her allies in the chamber's Democratic leadership initially accepted that spending legislation designed to outline an Iraq exit strategy should also include a provision barring the president from attacking Iran without congressional approval, they opened up a monumental discussion about presidential war powers.
One of the people responsible for removing the language was Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley.
quote:
One of the chief advocates for eliminating the Iran provision, Nevada Democrat Shelley Berkley, said she wanted it out of the legislation because she wants to maintain the threat of U.S. military action as a tool in seeking to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. "It would take away perhaps the most important negotiating tool that the U.S. has when it comes to Iran," explained Berkley.
The Nation says something similar to your comment.
quote:
By stripping the Iran provision from the legislation that is now under consideration by Congress, Pelosi has handed Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney -- no believer he is the separation of powers -- exactly what they want. They can and will say that, when the question of whether Congress should require the administration to seek Congressional approval for an attack on Iran, Pelosi chose not to pursue the matter.
Anyone who thinks that Bush and Cheney will fail to exploit this profound misstep by Pelosi has not been paying attention for the past six years. The speaker has erred, dramatically and dangerously.
The Nation, is one of the strongest supporters of Pelosi in print. It is a Liberal publication, and often takes possitions not supported by moderates within the Democratic Party.