The Daily Background

Obama missed the vote on Kyl-Lieberman today- an amendment that would have formally designated part of Iran’s military a “terrorist organization” and essentially provide rationale and the semblance of Senate endorsement for war against Iran. Jim Webb (D-VA) called it “Dick Cheney’s fondest pipe-dream.”

It passed by a large margin, but Obama says he would have voted against it had he been present for the vote– marking a noteworthy difference between himself and Clinton, who voted for the bill.

Senator Obama clearly recognizes the serious threat posed by Iran. However, he does not agree with the President that the best way to counter that threat is to keep large numbers of troops in Iraq, and he does not think that now is the time for saber-rattling towards Iran. In fact, he thinks that our large troop presence in Iraq has served to strengthen Iran - not weaken it. He believes that diplomacy and economic pressure, such as the divestment bill that he has proposed, is the right way to pressure the Iranian regime. Accordingly, he would have opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment had he been able to vote today.

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog