Iran

Pols Want Obama To Hit Iran Harder, Make Its Bank 'Radioactive'

Susan Crabtree | October 14, 2011, 1:03PM

Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Shahab 3 missile and Pres. Obama

Republicans and even some Democrats are coming down hard on President Obama's policy toward Iran and Syria just three days after the Justice Department released information about a foiled Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.

A Friday House hearing devoted to examining the threats posed by Iran and Syria quickly devolved into attacks on Obama's record toward the two Middle Eastern dictatorships.

Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) lambasted the administration's execution of Iran human rights protections passed into law last year, calling its record "truly pathetic and inadequate" and arguing that "a pack of Iranian boy scouts could do better by far."

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Libya

Key House Republican Pulls a Newt on Libya?

Benjy Sarlin | March 24, 2011, 4:34PM

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)

Hillary Clinton has been invited to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Libya next week, and if committee Chair Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-FL) recent statements are to be believed, she'll face some tough questions as to just why America has taken military action. But it's unclear just what Ros-Lehtinen's own position on Libya is, having apparently shifted between support and opposition for military operations over the last month.

Before President Obama joined an international effort to defend Libyan rebels under siege with air attacks on Qaddafi's forces, Ros-Lehtinen unambiguously backed a no-fly zone with a specific mission of protecting Libyan civilians under attack by the regime.

In a February 26 press release, she said that "stronger penalties must be imposed in order to hold the regime accountable for its heinous crimes, and to prevent further violence against the Libyan people. Additional U.S. and international measures should include the establishment and enforcement of a no-fly zone, a comprehensive arms embargo, a travel ban on regime officials, immediate suspension of all contracts and assistance which benefit the regime, and the imposition of restrictions on foreign investment in Libya, including in Libya's oil sector."

Ros-Lehtinen's support for a no-fly zone likely came as little surprise given her harsh condemnation of Qaddafi only days earlier.

"The United States and all responsible nations should show in both word and deed that we condemn the Libyan regime's actions and that we will not tolerate such blatant disregard for human life and basic freedoms," she said in a statement on February 22.

But her position appeared to shift dramatically over the ensuing days, and by the time the UN passed a no-fly zone resolution, she was arguing that "the case has not been made for me to be satisfied that this is the right move for the United States at this time," according to an interview with CBS Miami on March 19, the same day military action against the Qaddafi regime began.

"The bottom line is you've gotta ask what is the U.S. security interest in getting involved in Libya," Ros-Lehtinen said in that interview. "Because there's unrest everywhere. Today its Libya, tomorrow it will be somewhere else."

She cited the cost of the war as another major concern, saying that "we are broke and that's why we have to be selective about where we're going and why we're going."

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Iran

Ridge Warns of Iran's Growing Influence Amid Middle East Unrest

Susan Crabtree | March 1, 2011, 11:59AM

Fmr. Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (R)

Former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Tuesday warned of Iran's growing influence amid the Middle East's turbulent political climate, underscoring other Republicans' calls for the U.S. to take a harder line on Iran.

The spread of pro-democracy movements across the region -- from Tunisia to Egypt and Libya -- is a positive step, Ridge said, but it also creates an opening for even more Iranian influence.

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Republicans

Meet The Chairmen! House GOPers Get Back To The Gavels

Eric Kleefeld | December 10, 2010, 8:40AM

The Republicans' midterm sweep in the House of Representatives doesn't just mean that John Boehner will become Speaker -- it means a drastic shift of leadership and legislative priorities throughout the whole chamber.

This week, House Republicans officially rolled out the list of committee chairs in the new Congress. And as can be expected, some of them are really interesting personalities. It is these individuals who will be holding hearings on legislation and oversight of the executive branch -- that is, attacking the Obama administration and trying to dig up scandals, as typically occurs during periods of divided government.

So let's take a look at several of the key GOPers who will be heading up these important House panels: Their backgrounds, their positions, their histories -- and a few gaffes, too.

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