Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) advocates that in order to support the Iranian citizens who are currently fighting in favor of democracy in Iran, the United States should further economic sanctions on Iran. More specifically, Rohrabacher explains that the Mullahs (Islamic clerics, who hold leadership positions in Iran) are stealing from the people and their accounts abroad should b frozen as well as any commercial interactions between American high-tech firms and Iran. (0:31)

 

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Rep. Dana Rorhrabacher (R-Calif), responds to attorney Bruce Fein’s remarks that the US government should extend citizenship to the Uyghur men who were accused of terrorist acts. Rohrabacher says that suspected terrorists should not benefit from the rights granted towards Americans (0:21)

 

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Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) discusses the implications of allowing Iraqi refugees to come to the United States at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. (0:44)

 

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At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Neglected Responsibilities: The U.S. Response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis,” Congressman William Delahunt (D-MA) says that we cannot allow a breeding ground for terrorism to fester in the Middle East, and he says he suggests the vast numbers of refugees will produce terrorist of the future unless they are treated with respect and dignity. (:27)

 

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At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Neglected Responsibilities: The U.S. Response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis,” Chairman Gary L. Ackerman, (D-NY) says that at the hearing last year, a witness said that the U.S. response to the refugee crisis could be the first step to rehabilitating our image in the Middle East and globally, but a year later, we have yet to seize that moment. (:23)

 

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At the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on “Neglected Responsibilities: The U.S. Response to the Iraqi Refugee Crisis,” Chairman Gary L. Ackerman, (D-NY) said Congress increased to 5000 the number of Special Immigrant Visas available to Iraqis who worked for the United States. However, in terms of refugees, only 1,608 were resettled during Fiscal Year 2007. In order to reach the goal of 12,000 refugees resettled during this Fiscal Year, he said, the Administration would have to triple the number of refugees processed each month. A year later, and we have yet to “seize the moment” in terms of rehabilitating the image of the United States in the Middle East. (more…)

At the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Budget for Fiscal Year 2009 Hearing, Representative Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), said there are many developments in the present that were of concern. At the top of the list, she said, is the “accelerating spread of the capacity to make nuclear weapons.” She said the threat to the world’s security is obvious, and said the nuclear fuel in a reactor can be used in “dirty bombs.” (more…)

Glennon said that the President must seek Congressional approval before committing to a longterm military presence in Iraq.

 

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Rohrabacher said that the Bush administration’s refusal to cooperate with Congress over matters pertaining to Iraq are “unacceptable.”

 

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Chairman Bill Delahunt (D-Mass) discussed the “Declaration of Principles” issued by the Bush administration on November 26th, 2007. He expressed disappointment with the administration over the declaration, saying that details of the document were kept secret and worried that it suggested an indefinite military presence in Iraq. He said that administration officials declined three separate invitations to speak before the subcommittee regarding the declaration and that the only official to discuss the declaration was Secretary of Defense Robert Gates during a hearing two days ago.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) said that he has been a strong supporter of the Iraq war since the invasion but he mimicked Delahunt’s message saying that the administration’s unwillingness to cooperate with Congress “breeds mistrust” in Washington and with Americans. He said that the administration may have good intentions but that the “cloak of secrecy” surrounding discussion of the declaration “undermines the success to implement the strategy.”

Michael J. Glennon, professor of international Law at Tufts University spoke before the subcommittee saying that the declaration was “ambiguous.” He said that it could be construed to imply a longterm military presence in Iraq and that under the constitution, the President must seek Congressional approval before enacting such provisions.