Short story in the conservative Jerusalem Post which quotes the new Democrat Majority Leader Steny Hoyer as saying a "nuclear armed Iran" is unacceptable and that he has not ruled out armed force. Like most articles about Iran there is quite some confusion about nuclear power (which is allowed under the Non Proliferation Treaty that Iran seems to have been adhering to) and nuclear weapons, which are banned. Unfortunately, Hoyer's comments are ambiguous about this distinction. He does not make clear that an armed attack on Iran would be unjustified unless clear evidence of Iran's nuclear arms is presented, and like other commentators he doesn't seem to take seriously the U.N. Convention's prohibitions on preemptive war. I read ... More »

Given the reports alleging an Israeli plan and preparations to strike Iranian facilities with nuclear weapons, this could be considered a veiled element of pretext. It is, by nature, one-sided and slanted to the publication's political viewpoint. THere are few real quotes. The material in quotation marks appear to be fragments of answers to pointed questions. The information about the context for the meeting is gratuitous but revealing as it announces prominently that "Hoyer is considered close to the Jewish community ...". More transparency about the questioning and more complete and accurate quotes would have strengthened the value of the report. More concrete discussion of Hoyer's "support" of the community would have added ... More »