Democrats start beating war drums

Washington Post, January 20, 2006;
Hillary Clinton:

"I believe we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations," Clinton said. "I don't believe you face threats like Iran or North Korea by outsourcing it to others and standing on the sidelines."

Evan Bayh:

The Indiana senator blamed the administration for allowing the situation to become a crisis. "We should never have arrived at this juncture," Bayh said in a statement. "During his State of the Union speech in 2002, President Bush famously called Iran part of the 'Axis of Evil' but then followed that up by ignoring and then largely deferring management of this crisis to the Europeans. This approach has certainly been damaging to our national security."

Newsday.com, January 19.

PRINCETON, N.J. -- A tough-talking Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday suggested she would back a military strike on Iran if that country's radical Islamic government attempts to build nuclear weapons.

Clinton's speech seemed to position her somewhat to the right of the Bush administration, which has stressed diplomacy without ruling out any other option. Most experts on the region say a military strike is not feasible and therefore unlikely.

"We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," she said.

Capping off a bitter 45- minute denunciation of Bush administration policy in the Middle East, Clinton said she was optimistic that U.S. troop levels in Iraq could be reduced this year. Allying herself with Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), the former first lady said she believes the U.S. military in the region should be reduced to a relatively small, quick-strike force to "send a message to Iran that they don't have a free hand" in the region.

She also blasted the Bush administration for allowing European countries to lead negotiations with the hard-line regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Let's see how long they can maintain their steely resolve.