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<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;text-align:center'><b><font size=5 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:18.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Escalation
in the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place> <o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=3
color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:black;font-weight:bold'>Ron Paul’s Texas Straight Talk –
January 15, 2007 </span></font></b><font color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-family:Arial;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:
12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'><br>
While the president’s announcement that an additional 20,000 troops would
be sent to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> dominated
the headlines last week, the real story was the president’s sharp
rhetoric towards <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>. And
recent moves by the administration only serve to confirm the likelihood of a
wider conflict in the <st1:place w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>. <br>
<br>
The president stated last week that, “Succeeding in <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> also
requires defending its territorial integrity- and stabilizing the region in the
face of the extremist challenge. This begins with addressing <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Syria</st1:place></st1:country-region>.” He also announced the
deployment of an additional aircraft carrier battle group to the Persian Gulf,
and the deployment of Patriot air missile defense systems to countries in the <st1:place
w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>. Meanwhile, US troops stormed the Iranian
consulate in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>
and detained several Iranian diplomats. Taken together, the message was clear:
the administration intends to move the <st1:country-region w:st="on">US</st1:country-region>
closer to a dangerous and ill-advised conflict with <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <br>
<br>
As I said last week on the House floor, speculation in <st1:State w:st="on">Washington</st1:State>
focuses on when, not if, either <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region>
or the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> will bomb <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran--</st1:place></st1:country-region> possibly
with nuclear weapons. The accusation sounds very familiar: namely, that <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> possesses
weapons of mass destruction. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>
has never been found in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and
our own Central Intelligence Agency says <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region> is more than ten years away
from producing any kind of nuclear weapon. Yet we are told we must act
immediately while we still can! <br>
<br>
This all sounds very familiar, but many of my colleagues don’t seem to
have learned much from the invasion of <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. House Democrats strongly
criticized the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iraq</st1:country-region> troop
surge after the president’s announcement, but then praised the
president’s confrontational words condemning <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Many of those opposing a
troop surge are not calling for a withdrawal of our troops from the <st1:place
w:st="on">Middle East</st1:place>, but rather for “redeployment.”
Redeployment to where? <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>?
<br>
<br>
We need to return to reality when it comes to our <st1:place w:st="on">Middle
East</st1:place> policy. We need to reject the increasingly shrill rhetoric
coming from the same voices who urged the president to invade <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>. <br>
<br>
The truth is that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>, like
<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
is a third-world nation without a significant military. Nothing in history
hints that she is likely to invade a neighboring country, let alone <st1:country-region
w:st="on">America</st1:country-region> or <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Israel</st1:place></st1:country-region>. I am concerned, however,
that a contrived <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Gulf</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Tonkin-</st1:PlaceName> type incident may occur to gain popular
support for an attack on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iran</st1:place></st1:country-region>.
<br>
<br>
The best approach to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>,
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region> for that matter,
is to heed the advice of the Iraq Study Group Report, which states: <br>
<br>
"… the <st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region>
should engage directly with <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region> in order to try to
obtain their commitment to constructive policies toward <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Iraq</st1:place></st1:country-region> and other
regional issues. In engaging with <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region>
and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Iran</st1:country-region>, the <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region>
should consider incentives, as well as disincentives, in seeking constructive
results." <br>
<br>
In coming weeks I plan to introduce legislation that urges the administration
to heed the advice of the Iraq Study Group. Dialogue and discussion should
replace inflammatory rhetoric and confrontation in our <st1:place w:st="on">Middle
East</st1:place> policy, if we truly seek to defeat violent extremism and
terrorism. <br>
</span></font><font size=1 color=black face=Arial><span style='font-size:9.0pt;
font-family:Arial;color:black'>Source:
http://www.house.gov/paul/tst/tst2007/tst011507.htm <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:
auto;text-align:center'><font size=1 color=black face=Arial><span
style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:black'>Last updated 15/01/2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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