Israel Matzav

Oh my: AIPAC calls to delay Iran sanctions vote

President Hussein Obama has put enough pressure on AIPAC that it is now calling to delay a vote on new Iran sanctions. And bill initiator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is warning against his bill becoming a partisan issue.

In a statement released on the heels of an extensive speech by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), calling on both sides of the Iran sanctions debate to soften their positions, AIPAC said, “We agree with the Chairman that stopping the Iranian nuclear program should rest on bipartisan support and that there should not be a vote at this time on the measure.”

Menendez, who together with Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), is a lead sponsor of the bill known as the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act, did not explicitly call for a delay in a vote which dozens of Republican senators have pushed for, but he did warn against the Iran issue becoming a “partisan process trying to force a vote on a national security matter before its appropriate time.”

Menendez also critiqued the White House’s stance on Iran, saying, “We have placed our incredibly effective international sanctions regime on the line without clearly defining the parameters of what we expect in a final agreement.”

AIPAC praised the New Jersey senator for “his strong and eloquent statement on the Senate floor today outlining the threat of Iran’s nuclear program and the imperative of dismantling it.”

“We remain committed to working with the Administration and the bipartisan leadership in Congress to ensure that the Iran nuclear program is dismantled,” the pro-Israel lobby added.

Not that I expect an announcement once Iran has gone nuclear, but once Iran does go nuclear, these people should all have egg on their faces for missing the warning signs.

Labels: AIPAC, Barack Hussein Obama, Iran sanctions regime, Iranian nuclear threat, Robert Menendez

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:20 AM