Clinton to Join Webb on Iran Bill

I broke this story earlier this morning right before my radio show.

In March, James Webb introduced legislation demanding that the President seek congressional approval before striking Iran.

I've just learned that Senator Hillary Clinton will co-sponsor legislation with Webb and re-introduce it into the Senate. Exact language isn't available, but this is what Webb offered in March.

Specifically, the amendment requires that the President seek congressional authorization prior to commencing any broad military action in Iran and it allows the following exceptions: First, military operations or activities that would directly repel an attack launched from within the territory of Iran. Second, those activities that would directly thwart an imminent attack that would be launched from Iran. Third, military operations or activities that would be in hot pursuit of forces engaged outside the territory of Iran who thereafter would enter Iran. And finally, those intelligence collection activities that have been properly noticed to the appropriate committees of Congress.

Senator Jim Webb Introduces Iran Amendment

Clinton took a lot of heat, including from yours truly, for voting for the Lieberman-Kyl legislation. But Clinton understands what happened with the Iraq authorization bill, at the same time she believes Iran's Revolutionary Guards is a terrorist organization. She obviously also wants to send a message to Bush as well. Joining Webb in co-sponsoring this legislation is critically important and a progressive move.

The Lieberman-Kyl non-binding language, even after gutted, was something no Democrat should have voted for, let alone co-sponsored. But we all know what a cheeerleading Mr. Lieberman is when it comes to Iran. In the end there is also the obvious. Nothing Congress do will deter Mr. Bush from targeting Iran if he decides that is what he wants to do. But Clinton joining Webb in drawing a line for Bush will at least be on the record. Cold comfort, but better this than silence.

UPDATE: Steve Clemons weighs in and gets it exactly right. Here's a snippet, but make sure you read his whole analysis.

Hillary Clinton needs to apply her ascending political weight to the passage of the Webb resolution. It is not enough to just support a resolution and watch it languish. This is a measure that needs to be passed and sent to the White House to rob legitimacy from any conflict Cheney and his followers might engineer in the waning days of this administration.

Comments

[Liberterna]

Hillary is the very definition of a knifing politician.

Having your cake and eating it too Hilary?

wow, it's a sad state of affairs if this is the best crop of politicians America has to offer.

Hillary's election won't be any different from Joe Liebermann, they're both in the pocket of the same lobbyist anyways.

but the dog and pony show continues while people are given the illusion that they are given a choice between candidate a and candidate b.

[Merrysunshine]

She voted for bombing Iran before she voted against it.

The two faces of Hillary.

[hoopoe]

too little too late. she knows this bill won't hold water when it comes down to it. she's going through the motions so she can say later, when things go horribly wrong 'see, i was against it! - i tried' hoping we'll be fooled.

on the subject of her vote for kyl-lieberman, does she have any clue what a 'terrorist organization' is? by definition, it is stateless. if this is a valid use of the term, then it is equally valid to label the CIA and the US army 'terrorist orgainzations' (as iran has just done with their own darkly comical non-binding resolution.) this is becoming absurd.

she might want to get a firm grip on subjects like these before voting on them, particularly when that vote is an implicit endorsement for military action under the perpetual 'war on terror'. you might especially need to know what terrorism is if you plan on being president...

but, oh, i forgot, i'm still working off of the pre-9/11, fact-based definition, and we've moved on to the bush definition of 'if you're not with us, you're a terrorist.' that broadens the category up nicely to include everyone who might disagree with you or your policies. no wonder she endorses bush's new definition....

[Qbear]

I think Democrats in the Senate need to ask

WHO'S SIDE IS REID ON?

He brought up that astondingly stupid Kyl/Lieberman bill for a vote, he brought up extending abstinence funding. STOP REID before he brings so many poison pills no Democrat can win.

[Qbear]

Hillary handed Cheney the keys to her campaign, now she's scared sh*tless he'll drive it off a cliff.

Wouldn't it have been the sign of a leader to NOT hand Cheney any more power to start ANOTHER WAR?

[TheQuestion]

From the launguage in this article it looks like the bill would be so full of holes that the administration could easily navigate around it.

[dadw5boys]

They better hurry. With Black Water in trouble in Iraq and nearly expelled Bush has to rush to get into position to attack Iran now or lose a base for that Private Army to operate from.
Come on Webb. They have been working on this bill how many months?
Finally got it ready to pass without flaws the Supreme Court could use to block their limiting of the President's War Powers.

[leftLibertarian]

She's both for the war and against the war and will take any position so that you will vote for her.

In other words, she is without principle.

[RealBlackGirl]

Amen! Could she and Webb be more obvious. He wants to be vice president as badly as she wants to be president.

[FlowerGirl]

So her vote bit her in the ass.
Now she wants to pretend to be on the side of humanity again, but she fools nobody.
Now where did she get the reputation for being smart?
How many times did she fail the bar exam before she passed?

[altohone]

Ooooh!

Insisting that Bush come back to Congress so she can vote yes.

What a crock.
Having it both ways as always.

BTW, Webb's bill is fully exploitable.
The second and third "exceptions" can be arranged or imagined. The second advocates a pre-emptive strike... hardly a road we should travel again based on "evidence" from BushCo, the third could be interpreted to include any Shiite crossing the border... "military operations or activities"... vague enough to include following home the Iranian the Kurds invited in who we illegaly arrested when he is released.
Oh, and the exception for "approved" covert activities against Iran sounds like proof we're already up to our necks violating international law against a country that hasn't attacked us.

[hugs4u]

Hillary is trying to do the both ways thing. First she votes with Liberman to please the jews, Now she has to try and please everyone else by going with Webb, which is the opposite of what the Liberman bill intended.

[SensibleAmerican]

Ah! The clueless begin their rants again! Ralph, take them away somewhere else!

As I have mentioned in Steve Clemons post, the Kyle_Lieberman 'resolution' was so diluted AND made non-binding that all it was reduced to was a record of how some Senators felt and how they did not! Dems have come up with non binding resolutions on Iraq! Have they done any good?!

Nevertheless, the far-left-nuts and Hillary detractors go on making a big deal about it?! Catch a bull by the horn and swing on it! LOL

[scooperss]

You do remember gonzales saying that we "did not have habeas corpus, it just couldn't be taken away", don't you? With that kind of speak I'm sure there is someone is the bush administration that could twist the language in lieberman/kyl around to where it gives permission to attack Kansas.

[dadw5boys]

So Hillary plays the same game these Republicans have for hundreds of years and is good at it and she is bad. Is that your point.
Did you miss all the scandels?
Did you not hear about the WIDE STANCES and roads to no where?

[nightslider]

well it looks as though the Iranians are going to get their nuclear weapon, just not from their factory as they had planned

Heres hoping that a Sirhan Sirhan is in dicks future.

[lafrance]

this is simply another of clinton;s cold and calculating moves.
She voted for the Iran measure thinking of her being in the white house and if not Bush than she would take advantage of it. But, to hold on to her lead and cover for the disapproval and fake out the voters like she always does, she signs on to Webb's bill.
By the way, it seems everyone is doing all this work since she's been in the senate. Aside from Flag burning, she really has not done a whole lot except to sign on to bills that she can tack on to make her look good whether she really believes in them or not.
by the way, what does she really believe in besides war?

[TheQuestion]

Put this maneuver in perspective with what the republicans have been doing forever. They use every possible trick - most of which are in the order of putting democrats in difficilt possitions to defend later on. The thing I don't understand is why the vote ever went forward in the first place.

[Qbear]

Sorry Hillary you screwed the pooch voting AYE on Kyl/Lieberman...no G*D DAMN do-over

[mommadona]

Well, good move, if it comes to fruition.
The momentum is there.
Catch the wave.

[SamThornton]

Be still my heart.