Congressman: 'We don't have the military capability to play chicken with Iran' Mike Aivaz and Jason Rhyne

Published: Friday October 26, 2007



del.icio.us

Print This Email This Harsh US sanctions announced yesterday against Iran could help to lay the groundwork for an armed conflict that America's military simply isn't prepared for, Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) told MSNBC host Tucker Carlson. Asked by Carlson why Democrats had issues with the sanctions, Moran said there was a "sense of deja vu." "We have a little history with this administration," said the congressman. "They require things that they know are not going to be received well by the Iranian administration, and it comes to a stalemate -- a game of chicken if you will -- and that's what we're concerned about." And if an armed conflict did occur, Moran was skeptical that the US forces, already heavily committed in Afghanistan and Iraq, could be effective. "Iran is a big country -- 70 million people," he said. "We don't have the military capability to play chicken with Iran." Moran went on to explain his view that the sanctions may be just the first step in a plan intentionally designed to increase the likelihood of a conflict: "They're doing things that they know are just going to taunt the Iranian administration and create a bolder stance on their part," said Moran. "You know, we don't do this to the Burmese military or the North Korean military...we don't label any of these awful military regimes to be terrorists. Later in the segment, Moran said he was wasn't sure diplomacy was a real priority for the Bush administration. "I question that that's the result they're trying to achieve, because they're not sitting down and talking with Iran under any conditions," he said. "Iran has to agree to all of the conditions before they will talk to them. That's the problem, that's what we did with Iraq." Pressed by Carlson to explain what an "adult" plan was to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, Moran recommended a nuanced diplomatic strategy. "See if there is a a way to allow them to have nuclear power to power their civilian activities, but not to get into the area of nuclear weaponry," he said. "I still think that's possible, but how would we know when we're doing everything to isolate, to marginalize them, to create this confrontation...which is what some of the neocons who pushed us into Iraq would really like to see." The following video is from MSNBC's TUCKER, broadcast on October 25, 2007

Advertisements Want a gift card? Participate in a presidential frontrunner survey!



