Chris Dodd Writes to Bush Re: Iran
Chris Dodd sent a letter to President Bush this past Friday calling for diplomacy with regards to Iran. Dodd’s letter also pre-emptively calls shenanigans on using the 2002 Authorization to Use Military Force to justify action in Iran. Emphasis added:
To date there has been a total absence of any serious U.S. diplomatic efforts to dissuade Iran from continuing its ill conceived and destabilizing policies. I am extremely concerned that your administration’s failure to employ robust diplomacy in dealing with the challenges posed by Iran could lead us down the same disastrous and ill-conceived path that has produced a failed policy in Iraq that has made us less secure. While I would never advocate taking the military option off the table as a policy option under any circumstance, I am convinced that at this time military action against Iran would be extremely dangerous and costly and would pose even more serious dangers to our interests and the interests of our friends and allies throughout the region. Moreover, it is my firm belief that the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force in no way grants license to deploy any military campaign against Iran.
Dodd may not be leading in the polls, but he’s leading on peace and diplomacy.
And in related news, Gabe (of CTLP fame) is following the leader, and has been chosen to blog about Chris Dodd’s candidacy for The Left Coaster.