What would happen if Senator Barack Obama, Joe Biden or any Democrat campaigned with a Senator who obstructed legislation that would tighten sanctions against Iran? What would the Republican National Committee, the Republican Jewish Coalition, or the McCain campaign say? What would Governor Sarah Palin say?
Earlier this week, Palin joined U.S. Senator Wayne Allard to campaign together in Colorado. Allard is the Senator who "exercised his prerogative to obstruct the legislation [to tighten sanctions against Iran]." According to Ron Kampeas of The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, this means that, "The Senate has adjourned this session and it is unlikely that it will reconvene before the new Congress next year, when the bill would have to be reintroduced from scratch. That costs time, a precious commodity that Israel and pro-Israel groups say is dwindling as Iran moves closer to acquiring a nuclear bomb, perhaps as early as next year."
Read that last sentence again.
The article concludes with a quote from AIPAC spokesman Josh Block who said that AIPAC was "disappointed that it didn't get done in the Senate." Ira Forman also addresses the GOP's and McCain's approach to Iran in his Huffington Post piece from July titled, "McCain, Iran, and the Jewish Vote," where Forman said, "[McCain] talks tough on Iran, but votes against Iranian sanctions in order to protect corporations like Halliburton." Unfortunately, this isn't the first time Republicans have put Party over tightening sanctions against Iran.
And what was the reason Senate Republicans didn't support this legislation? Barack Obama.
It has become clear that the Republicans blocked this bill from coming to the floor for the second time this month because the "GOP was playing politics by obstructing legislation championed by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.)" They didn't want to give Obama an important legislative victory so close to the election.
Give me a break. When are the Republicans going to learn? By blocking this bill for the second time in a month the GOP is putting election year partisanship over appropriate, timely, and firm US policy to send a clear statement to Iran about their aggressive, provocative, unacceptable approach to nuclear development.
Talk about country first.