Kohr said this: It is not necessary for Iran to actually have the bomb
–to demonstrate beyond doubt that they have crossed the nuclear
threshold. Iran with simply the capacity to quickly produce a weapon –
is a risk to peace, and a threat to the world. Iran, as a threshold
nuclear state will strengthen our foes and frighten our friends. . . .
That is why all U.S. officials must speak with one voice – so Tehran
clearly hears that America is unified in its determination to prevent
a nuclear capable Iran.
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photo credits ... Raheb Homavandi/Reuters
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......item 1).... POSTOPINIONS ... The Washington Post ... www.washingtonpost.com ...
Posted at 11:47 AM ET, 03/05/2012
AIPAC’s chief: Obama is wrong about a bunch of stuff
By Jennifer Rubin
www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/post/aipacs-chief...
Howard Kohr, the executive director of AIPAC, doesn’t have an easy job. He presides over a mostly Democratic organization in an era in which a Democratic president has frayed U.S.-Israel relations to the breaking point, lurching from one spat to another with our democratic ally. Those on the right (including me) have chided AIPAC at times for not confronting the president more strongly when his rhetoric and policy choices do damage to the U.S.-Israel relationship. On the left, he must contend with rising anti-Zionism and the reflexive use of anti-Semitic language in the New Media.
So in analyzing his speech it is important to appreciate his institutional limitations and the degree to which AIPAC’s ethos has for decades been to cultivate bipartisan support for Israel. (That works when the president is staunchly pro-Israel, but not so well under this president.)
Certainly those on the right will wince when they hear Kohr’s speech to the AIPAC conference this morning: “President Obama and his administration are to be commended. They have — more than any other administration — more than any other country — brought unprecedented pressure to bear on Tehran through the use of biting economic sanctions.” Nothing about the administration’s opposition to the Menendez-Kirk sanctions amendment? Nothing about his preposterous directive to can the “loose war talk”?
Again, Kohr is trying to walk a fine line. So when he says in his closing, “We must recoil from any inclination to make this situation — or allow others to make this about parties or politics” we should keep in mind that the rest of the speech was a serious and smart repudiation of the president’ approach to Iran.
Consider that the president repeatedly said that the redline (not his word, but mine) was Iran’s possession of a nuclear weapon. Kohr said this:
It is not necessary for Iran to actually have the bomb –to demonstrate
beyond doubt that they have crossed the nuclear threshold. Iran with
simply the capacity to quickly produce a weapon – is a risk to peace,
and a threat to the world. Iran, as a threshold nuclear state will
strengthen our foes and frighten our friends. . . . That is why all
U.S. officials must speak with one voice – so Tehran clearly hears
that America is unified in its determination to prevent a nuclear
capable Iran.
In other words, Mr. President you are dead wrong.
Kohr also made the case that Obama is wrong on his timeline. Obama said there was time for diplomacy to work. But he said we are now in an urgent situation: “There is still time to stop Iran without the use of force. But that time is running out — quickly.”
Obama is at pains both publicly and privately to urge the Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyhu to hold off on military action. The U.S. can handle this if sanctions fail, he is saying. But Kohr explains why that formula is unworkable for the Jewish state:
Israel was created to ensure that the Jewish people would never have
to put their fate in the hands of others. Let us be clear: Israel does
not want Iran to force her to have to strike. For twenty years, Israel
has sounded the alarm about the dangers of Iran becoming a nuclear
power in an attempt to avoid military confrontation by anyone. Israel
has never treated force as the first resort. It has always been – and
still is – the last resort. But Israel does not control the path Iran
is on. If at some point, Israel -- or anyone -- must act – only Iran
will be to blame.But if Israel is forced into taking military action
that she and the world did their best to avoid, then America must
stand with the Jewish state.
In other words, the deadline for Israel to act is when its military
capabilities reach their limit to prevent Iran from attaining a
nuclear weapons capacity. Kohr was candid about that gap between the
U.S. and Israel: that “Israel’s place in Iran’s ideology; its size;
Its proximity to danger — all these — create a disequilibrium — a
divergence about when Iran’s actions present a critical danger — say
to the United States or the west — and when they pose a critical
danger to Israel.”
Kohr also did what Obama failed to do: Lay out the necessary conditions on negotiations to prevent them from becoming a stalling tactic for Iran to continue its march toward a nuclear weapons capability. “But for any diplomacy to succeed, Iran’s leaders must demonstrate in advance that they are serious about giving up their quest for nuclear weapons. We should demand that they again verifiably freeze their nuclear program, as required by the UN Security Council – before talks begin.”
And finally, Howard debunked the president’s call to muzzle the “loose war talk.” In fact, we have to raise the fear factor, he argued: “When American soldiers entered Iraq in 2003 and Tehran feared it would be next, Iran stopped work on developing a nuclear weapon. But — when the mullah’s fear diminished, Iran’s nuclear scientists returned to business as usual — and have been at it ever since. The reality today is that the Iranian regime is not frightened enough.We must increase the pressures on the mullahs to the point where they fear failure to comply will lead to their downfall.”
It would be wrong to paint Kohr’s speech as “taking Israel’s side.” To the contrary, he is making an appeal not only to his members and the American people but to the president and those with in the administration struggling to formulate a more robust Iran policy and more closely align U.S. and Israel interests. He is making the case that, for America’s security, we need to move up that redline. (“A nuclear capable Iran means real risks for the United States, her friends and allies.”)
Given the political composition of his membership and his need to remain above partisan politics, it was an extraordinary and in many ways devastating speech. Let’s hope someone in the White House is listening.
By Jennifer Rubin | 11:47 AM ET, 03/05/2012
Categories: 2012 campaign, American Jews, Iran, Israel
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.....item 2).... JTA ... The Global News Service of the Jewish
People ... blogs.jta.org/politics ...
AIPAC chief: Iran is a ‘danger to America and to the world’
By Zach Silberman · March 5, 2012
blogs.jta.org/politics/article/2012/03/05/3091983/aipac-c...
In his opening remarks of the AIPAC Policy Conference's Monday plenary session, AIPAC's executive director, Howard Kohr, focused primarily on the threat posed by a nuclear-armed Iran, which he called a “danger to America and to the world” and “an existential threat to Israel.”
In an impassioned address to the 13,000 attendees, Kohr emphasized that all options should be on the table, “except the policy of containment.”
“As President Obama stated yesterday morning…containment is not the answer. Preventing Iran from ever having a nuclear weapons capability, that is the answer,” Kohr stated.
Kohr commended the work of the Obama administration and the bipartisanship of Congress for bringing “pressure to bear on Iran through biting economic sanctions” more than at any time in history.
The threat posed by Iran has been on the minds of everyone present at this policy conference and Kohr’s address emphasized that this was a crucial year for Israel and the United States to stop Iran.
He stated that if Israel does not view an attack on Iran as a first resort, but treats it as the last resort.
“Israel has never treated force as the first resort. It has always
been -- and still is -- the last resort,” Kohr said. “But if Israel is
forced into taking military action that she and the world did their
best to avoid, then America must stand with the Jewish state.”
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.....item 3).... Commentary ... Commentary Magazine ... www.commentarymagazine.com ...
Contentions
AIPAC Head to Obama: Do More on Iran
Alana Goodman | @alanagoodman
03.05.2012 - 10:42 AM
www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/03/05/aipac-obama-iran-pr...
In a fiery speech at the AIPAC conference this morning, executive director Howard Kohr praised the Obama administration for its efforts to prevent Iran from going nuclear, but warned that the progress so far “has not been enough.”
President Obama and his administration are to be commended. They have – more than any other administration — more than any other country – brought unprecedented pressure to bear on Tehran through the use of biting economic sanctions. …
The problem is–progress is not enough. … The reality today is that the Iranian regime is not frightened enough. We must increase the pressures on the mullahs to the point where they fear failure to comply will lead to their downfall.
That is why we must bring even more pressure to bear. Four tracks are critical: tough, principled diplomacy, truly crippling sanctions, disruptive measures and establishing a credible threat to use force. All four are necessary. All four are essential, to underscore, beyond any doubt, that the United States and the west are serious – serious about stopping Iran. And all four, taken together, offer the best chance to avoid a war that no one – not the United States, not Israel — seeks.
That is why all U.S. officials must speak with one voice – so Tehran clearly hears that America is unified in its determination to prevent a nuclear capable Iran.
Kohr’s speech, which focused solely on the Iranian nuclear threat, highlighted how AIPAC’s priorities have shifted since just last spring. The Palestinian conflict has faded into the background, and preventing a nuclear Iran has been the main concern since the conference began yesterday.
Specifically, Kohr called on the administration to support even tougher sanctions and demand that Iran freeze its program before any potential diplomacy can begin. His requests are backed up by immediate political muscle: tomorrow AIPAC heads to Capitol Hill for its annual public lobbying day, and these issues will be its top focus.
Topics: AIPAC, Howard Kohr, Iran, Iranian nuclear weapons, Obama
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.....item 4).... appropriations.house.gov ... TESTIMONY OF HOWARD A. KOHR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMERICAN
ISRAEL PUBLIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE (AIPAC) TO THE HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS AND RELATED AGENCIES SUBCOMMITTEE
April 2011
appropriations.house.gov/_files/041411AIPACTestimony.pdf
--- Israel: An Unwavering U.S. Ally
--- Increased Threats in the Region
--- Israel Increasing Its Own Defense Spending
--- U.S. Aid Vital to Israel’s Survival
--- Conclusion
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