Looks like a warmonger, talks like a warmonger …
by digby
Oh boo hoo. The bloodthirsty/cowardly faction of the Democratic Party is rending its garments over being called warmongers:
House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday lashed out at White House officials who have suggested that backers of a new Iran sanctions bill in the Senate are actually trying to start a war.
“There have been some that have suggested, in the White House, that those folks were more interested in war than they were in a resolution by peaceful means,” Hoyer said during a sit-down with reporters. “I think that is absolutely untrue, an irresponsible assertion and ought to be clarified or retracted by those who have made it in the administration.”
Yes, I’m sure the last thing the people railing against the peace negotiations want is war. I don’t know where these people in the White House would get such an idea:
LIEBERMAN: Yes, I want to talk about the legislation introduced in the Senate now sponsored by almost 50 members, which would impose tougher new sanctions on Iran if these negotiations fail.
President Obama has threatened to veto over it; the Iranians say if it passes, they’ll walk away from the table. I believe bipartisan majority in both houses of Congress will adopt these tougher sanctions on Iran. The president will not veto it and Iran will not walk away from the table. That’s the good news.
The bad news is I think that the tougher sanctions will not convince Iran to find a diplomatic way to end their nuclear weapons project and I think there is a better than even chance that before the end of 204 the U.S. and/or Israel will take military action to disable Iran’s nuclear program.
True, he isn’t in the Senate anymore. But he’s still got a lot of soul mates there.
Meanwhile, the Democrats are coming under increasing pressure to declare themselves on this. And it’s very dicey. Some, like Jeff Merkeley, are doing the right thing and opposing these sanctions, but according to Greg Sargent, at the moment it looks very possible they’ll get the 60 votes they need to blow up the talks. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that so many are willing to defy their president on the first realistic chance to find a peaceful solution in Iran for the first time in 40 years. There’s always a fairly large group who are eager for war. After all, Holy Joe Lieberman himself only left the Senate last year. Still, it’s just sad.
Statesmen will invent cheap lies, putting blame upon the nation that is attacked, and every man will be glad of those conscience-soothing falsities, and will diligently study them, and refuse to examine any refutations of them; and thus he will by and by convince himself that the war is just, and will thank God for the better sleep he enjoys after this process of grotesque self-deception.
– Mark Twain “Chronicle of Young Satan”
Update: I’m sure most of my readers don’t need to be convinced, but just in case, please read this from James Fallows. You could pass it on to your Democratic Senator is you like.
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