Thursday, July 24, 2008
Barack Obama: He's not just talk for Israel
Some people are understandably having some fun with the latest Obama-without-a-teleprompter head shaker:
“[Senator Obama] Now, in terms of knowing my commitments, you don't have to just look at my words, you can look at my deeds. Just this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to call for divestment from Iran, as a way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon.
But as Powerline points out, it is not so easy to look at Obama's deeds as there is a fundamental problem with the example Obama provides--it is not true:
“But Obama is not a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Obama just made that up so he could count the committee's action as one of "my deeds." Soccer Dad: Obama Talks About Commitment To Israel While Pointing To Imaginary Accomplishments
The Obama people can explain (H/T The Campaign Spot at NRO):
“U.S. Senator Barack Obama today applauded the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's passage of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008, which includes provisions Obama offered last year in the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2007 (S. 1430).”Senate Banking Committee Passes Obama Provisions on Divestment in Iran Sanctions Bill U.S. Senator Barack Obama
(Ed. Note: I also like this bit of flattery from the man who risks muscle tears from reaching across the aisle so much: “I commend Chairman Dodd for his leadership on this important issue, and I call on the Senate to quickly pass this legislation.” You would never know that Senator Obama’s self-decribed own committee refers to it as the Dodd-Shelby Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008.)
Here’s a link to the text of the hard-hitting Iran Sanctions Enabling Act that the Illinois Senator proposed last year. Its most significant features allow for state and local governments to direct divestments from investments in Iran (which the current bill also has) and this gem:
“1) PUBLICATION OF LIST- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of State, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall publish in the Federal Register a list of persons, whether within or outside of the United States, that, as of the date of the publication, have made an investment of more than $20,000,000 in the energy sector of Iran. The list shall include a description of the investment made by each such person, including the dollar value, intended purpose, and status of the investment, as of the date of the publication of the list.”
Whoaa Senator! You want to publish a list of the names of very rich people investing in the energy sector of Iran? Wouldn’t it be more diplomatic to just start lobbing bombs?
Unfortunately, the good Senator must have been too exhausted from the heavy-lifting of just introducing such a harsh measure to do any more with it because apparently that’s as far as it went.
Now here’s a look at some of what the Senate committee actually passed:
“To impose sanctions with respect to Iran, to provide for the divestment of assets in Iran by State and local governments and other entities, to identify countries engaged in transshipment, reexportation, or diversion of certain sensitive items to Iran, and for other purposes.”
Didn’t see anything about a rich guys list though.
“[Senator Obama] Now, in terms of knowing my commitments, you don't have to just look at my words, you can look at my deeds. Just this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to call for divestment from Iran, as a way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon.
But as Powerline points out, it is not so easy to look at Obama's deeds as there is a fundamental problem with the example Obama provides--it is not true:
“But Obama is not a member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. Obama just made that up so he could count the committee's action as one of "my deeds." Soccer Dad: Obama Talks About Commitment To Israel While Pointing To Imaginary Accomplishments
The Obama people can explain (H/T The Campaign Spot at NRO):
“U.S. Senator Barack Obama today applauded the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's passage of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008, which includes provisions Obama offered last year in the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2007 (S. 1430).”Senate Banking Committee Passes Obama Provisions on Divestment in Iran Sanctions Bill U.S. Senator Barack Obama
(Ed. Note: I also like this bit of flattery from the man who risks muscle tears from reaching across the aisle so much: “I commend Chairman Dodd for his leadership on this important issue, and I call on the Senate to quickly pass this legislation.” You would never know that Senator Obama’s self-decribed own committee refers to it as the Dodd-Shelby Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2008.)
Here’s a link to the text of the hard-hitting Iran Sanctions Enabling Act that the Illinois Senator proposed last year. Its most significant features allow for state and local governments to direct divestments from investments in Iran (which the current bill also has) and this gem:
“1) PUBLICATION OF LIST- Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of State, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the heads of other appropriate Federal departments and agencies, shall publish in the Federal Register a list of persons, whether within or outside of the United States, that, as of the date of the publication, have made an investment of more than $20,000,000 in the energy sector of Iran. The list shall include a description of the investment made by each such person, including the dollar value, intended purpose, and status of the investment, as of the date of the publication of the list.”
Whoaa Senator! You want to publish a list of the names of very rich people investing in the energy sector of Iran? Wouldn’t it be more diplomatic to just start lobbing bombs?
Unfortunately, the good Senator must have been too exhausted from the heavy-lifting of just introducing such a harsh measure to do any more with it because apparently that’s as far as it went.
Now here’s a look at some of what the Senate committee actually passed:
“To impose sanctions with respect to Iran, to provide for the divestment of assets in Iran by State and local governments and other entities, to identify countries engaged in transshipment, reexportation, or diversion of certain sensitive items to Iran, and for other purposes.”
Didn’t see anything about a rich guys list though.
