Posted by Michael Earl Patton

Photo courtesy of here.

Congress appears ready to escalate tensions over Iran.  Most members of the House plan to demand that the president prohibit the export to Iran of petroleum products, inspect all vessels entering or leaving Iran, and prohibit most Iranian officials from leaving their country.  It is impossible for Bush to accomplish this unless he imposes a military blockade against Iran, which would be tantamount to an act of war.

Although the House Resolution 362 states that nothing in the bill shall be construed as authorizing the use of force against Iran, it also

(3) demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program;

The only way that this can be accomplished is through military force.  Does one really think that Iran would allow the U.S. to inspect all “vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo” unless guns were aimed at them?  And what’s this about not letting any Iranian officials travel abroad unless they were involved in involved in shutting down the nuclear program?  It looks like even education and health officials would not be allowed to travel outside the country.  And this for a program that the International Atomic Energy Agency says is only for generating electricity?

Iran, though it is rich in petroleum, does not have enough refineries and actually imports much of its gasoline and other petroleum products.  A blockade of such products would greatly harm the Iranian economy.

Long-time readers of The Cincinnati Beacon know that I have been concerned about a possible U.S. attack on Iran, supposedly to delay the development of an Iranian atomic bomb.  A year ago such an attack looked likely, but then the U.S. intelligence agencies issued a report declaring that Iran was not working on a nuclear bomb in any event and had not been working on one for several years.

To make Iran start work on an atomic bomb, an attack on their country would seem the most certain to produce results.

As I write this (Sunday) over half the members of the House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors —220 of the 435 representatives (click link for updated totals).  In the Cincinnati area both Steve Chabot and Jean “Cowards Cut and Run” Schmidt are co-sponsors.

Only 32 of the 100 senators have signed on as co-sponsors on a similar Senate resolution so far.  Neither Obama, McCain, or Clinton have signed on as of today; nor have the two Ohio senators, Voinovich and Brown.

Congress has recently approved continued funding for the occupation of both Iraq and Afghanistan for another year.  Due to President Bush’s objections, a proposed timetable for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq was removed from the bill.

Perhaps these resolutions are mere posturing and Congress does not intend them to be put into effect.  Perhaps.  But we would be better served if Congress poured water on a smouldering fire and not gasoline.

Thank you for reading (and printing from) The Cincinnati Beacon.