Iran Sanction Bill Loses Momentum As Administration Presses Diplomacy

AIPAC is ever inclined to push for U.S. policies that serve Israel's security interests. This is to be expected since AIPAC, which describes itself as Israel's lobbyist, is understandably more interested in promoting Israel's interests than those of the U.S. more broadly considered. AIPAC's critics something describe it as a foreign agent, and two of its senior employees were fired recently for receiving classifed documents. The FBI's ongoing investigation of these and other apparent violations of the Espionage Act did not deter leading Bushies from addressing AIPAC's recent Washington conference.
Of course, there have been times when the Israeli government has not agreed with AIPAC's definition of Israel's interest. This was famously the case in the mid-1990s when the later Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin told the Likudnik AIPAC to back off when he was pursuing the Oslo peace path. More than any other U.S. administration in my memory, the current Bush adminstration has been in synch with AIPAC. However, AIPAC has developed even closer bonds on Capitol Hill, especially with staunch right-wingers for whom diplomatic nuance sounds like something the feckless French would want. Now however, the Bushies are asking AIPAC to freeze its anti-Iran efforts so the U.S. government may pursue a diplomatic solution vis-a-vis Iran. Forward Newspaper Online: Iran Sanction Bill Loses Momentum As Administration Presses Diplomacy: "
"The pro-Israel lobby's top legislative priority--a bill aimed at tightening sanctions on Iran--is losing momentum in Congress now that the Bush administration is urging congressional leaders to hold off in favor of diplomatic efforts to quell Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
"Two weeks ago, at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, organization officials said it was a top priority to ensure quick passage of the Iran Freedom Support Act, a bill that is co-sponsored by more than half the members of the House of Representatives. State Department officials, however, recently asked sponsors of the bill to freeze their push for new sanctions as President Bush and his European allies exhaust diplomatic efforts to dissuade Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons. The White House does not oppose the bill, only the timing, administration officials told their congressional interlocutors.
"Pro-Israel lobbyists seemed resigned to a delay and appeared bent on downplaying any suggestion of a rift between the organization and the Bush administration over the issue. Yet the White House could face an open challenge from hawkish Republican congressmen. The Republican leadership on Capitol Hill has not given its final word on the administration's request. According to congressional sources involved with the legislation, Republican lawmakers are split over how to proceed. Some more hawkish members working on Middle East affairs are inclined to disregard the White House request and push ahead with the bill as soon as possible. "