Dodd, Edwards, Obama criticize * admin on Iran

[babylonsister]

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/10/25/430829.aspx

From NBC's Mark Murray
Dodd just released a statement on the Bush Administration's announcement that it's designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization -- and also on, it seems, Hillary Clinton's vote last month for Lieberman-Kyl.

"I recognize the obvious threat a nuclear Iran poses to the region and beyond, and that we must stop Iran's continued support for international terrorism," Dodd said. "Unfortunately, the action taken by the Administration today comes in the context of escalating rhetoric and drumbeat to military action against Iran. I am deeply concerned that once again the President is opting for military action as a first resort."

Dodd adds in the statement, "The aggressive actions taken today by the Administration absent any corresponding diplomatic action is exactly what we all should have known was coming when we considered our vote on the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment, and smacks, frankly, of a dangerous step toward armed confrontation with Iran."

***UPDATE*** Edwards hits Bush, Cheney, Clinton again. Here's his statment:
“Today, George Bush and Dick Cheney again rattled the sabers in their march toward military action against Iran. The Bush Administration has been making plans to attack Iran for many months. At this critical moment, we need strong leadership to stand against George Bush’s dangerous ‘preventive war’ policy, which makes force the first option, not the last.

“I learned a clear lesson from the lead up to the Iraq War in 2002: if you give this president an inch, he will take a mile -- and launch a war. Senator Clinton apparently learned a different lesson. Instead of blocking George Bush’s new march to war, Senator Clinton and others are enabling him once again.

“I have called for strong, capable diplomacy to deal with the challenge of Iran, and a carrots and sticks strategy aimed at results -- not the Bush/Cheney path, which would escalate tensions, enable attacks, and lead to unintended consequences.

“The New Yorker recently reported that one reason the administration has not yet attacked Iran is because public opinion has turned against such a course. Senator Clinton’s actions undermine the American people’s opposition to war with Iran. Today’s advancement of the Bush strategy on Iran shows how much we need strong opposition on this issue. I learned my lesson the hard way in 2002, but it appears that others still have some learning to do.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** Obama statement:
“It is important to have tough sanctions on Iran, particularly on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard which supports terrorism. But these sanctions must not be linked to any attempt to keep our troops in Iraq, or to take military action against Iran. Unfortunately, the Kyl-Lieberman amendment made the case for President Bush that we need to use our military presence in Iraq to counter Iran -- a case that has nothing to do with sanctioning the Revolutionary Guard."