Too many carrots, not enough sticks
Sticking it to Iran
by Steve Laffey
townhall.com
Feb 17, 2006
On Saturday, February 4th, something historic happened. The United Nations actually did something worth talking about. After years (yes, years) of running away from its own shadow, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted by a margin of 27-3 to report Iran to the UN Security Council. What will happen at the Security Council is anyone’s guess, but it is hoped that the United States will push for some form of a punitive measure against Iran.
This is a good start, but it was long in coming. For the past two and half years, Britain, Germany, and France have been trying their hands at some vague notion of diplomacy. Obviously, little has come of that approach, if anything at all. The prospect of a nuclear Iran has reached a point where it cannot be ignored away, and as the EU has demonstrated over the past three years, it cannot be talked away either. This prospect is as real as it is frightening. To quote John McCain,
“There is only one thing worse than the United States
exercising the military option. That is a nuclear-armed
Iran.”
In this increasingly dangerous world, we are forced to make choices sooner rather than later. Of course, there will always be those who see the best in our worst enemies. There will always be a divide between those who recognize the necessity of being strong and those who favor the indulgence of being weak.
Unfortunately, my opponent in the United States Senate race in Rhode Island, Senator Lincoln Chafee, has demonstrated a penchant for the latter. He was one of only four Senators to vote against the Syria Accountability Act, a law that holds Syria responsible for its violent role in the Middle East, and took issue with President Bush’s “hard words” for Iran in 2004, urging the administration to work more closely with that country, Jordan, and Syria. On Israel as well, the Senator has failed to be a strong leader. He favored increasing American pressure on Israel and supported the International Court of Justice’s ruling that declared the Israeli security barrier in the West Bank illegal.
But it is not just Middle East dictators that tug on the Senator’s heart strings. No, his soft spot for rogue regimes runs the geographic gamut, including such notables as Cuba and Venezuela. On Cuba, the Senator has consistently voted to significantly reduce the embargo on American goods currently in place and even traveled to Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro in January of 2002.
Only a couple of weeks ago, Chafee praised Venezuela’s thug of a president on Rhode Island’s WHJJ, reminding listeners that Hugo Chavez
<<< "is democratically elected. He has the support of his people and if we’re going to support democracies around the world, what better place than here in our own hemisphere." >>>
Few need to be reminded of Syria, Cuba, and Venezuela’s notoriously violent track records. Their callous disregard for human and civil rights is well catalogued, and the list of their victims is long. It is no surprise that they were the only three countries to oppose the IAEA resolution.
Senator Chafee’s record is made all the more egregious by his seat on the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, presenting him with a unique opportunity to make a difference on the national stage.
As the international community faces a decision on Iran, it is up to America and its leaders to lead the effort against the enemies of freedom and peace. While the decisions we will have to make will no doubt be difficult ones, they are decisions that must be made. They are decisions that will require courage and honesty about the nature of the world we live in. Talk of working “more closely” with Iran or Syria is not only naïve; it is a demonstration of weakness.
Despite his poor record in the past, I urge Senator Chafee to use his position in the Senate to push for sanctions against Iran at home and throughout the international community. I urge him to denounce the newly elected Hamas government and call for ending U.S. aid to the Palestinians. I urge him to stand up to countries like Cuba and Venezuala who hate America and everything we stand for. Lastly, I urge Senator Chafee to be a strong voice for Rhode Island and for the country.
Too often, Lincoln Chafee has proven himself irrelevant on the vital issues of our day. Given the increasing threat of a nuclear Iran, however, Senator Chafee doesn’t have the luxury of being irrelevant this time.
Steve Laffey is the Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island and a Republican candidate for the United States Senate.
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