Webb’s Bill And Iran

5 March, 2007. 321 words.

I heard on the radio this morning that Sen. Webb (D-VA) introduced a bill that will prevent the President from going to war without Congressional approval. Of course, as the story unfolded throughout the day, it turned out that Webb’s bill will just prevent the President from using the 2002 Iraq authorization for action against Iran “in some cases,” which is quite a bit less bold than the 2-second morning radio sound bite led me to believe. (FOX News has more on the story.) I don’t disagree with the idea, though I have my doubts about it passing in the current political climate. You know Republicans are somehow going to turn it into a bill about supporting the troops. (“If you don’t support infinite executive power to invade anywhere at any time, you don’t support the troops!”)

Personally I don’t believe Bush is going to attack Iran anyway, or even allow Israel to attack Iran. It just doesn’t make any sense. I agree with what I heard on television somewhere recently (maybe on Meet The Press): Polls and recent elections show the people of Iran don’t like their government much right now, but if we go and attack them, the Iranians will rally together around their mullacracy and that will be the end of any chance for a moderate Iran in the near future. Sanctions appear to be working to keep pressure on the Iranian government; they just need time to work. I think we just need to keep doing what we’re doing, including the sabre-rattling and publication of every instance of Iranian involvement in Iraq. The average Iranian can’t be happy about the prospect of fighting America, and I would like to think they’d be willing to support and bring about a regime change to prevent it. Maybe I’m just being optimistic today.

Thomas Krehbiel writes The Krehbiel Strikes Back, a generally centrist commentary on news, media, politics, and culture.

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