Iran: Next National Security Issue

Stopping A Nuclear Tehran, (Washington Post)…Daniel R. Coats and Charles S. Robb, October 23, 2008, Pg. 19

It is likely that the first and most pressing national security issue the next president will face is the growing prospect of a nuclear-weapons-capable Iran. After co-chairing a recently concluded, high-level task force on Iranian nuclear development, we have come to believe that five principles must serve as the foundation of any reasonable, bipartisan and comprehensive Iranian policy.

…  Fourth, so that Israel does not feel compelled to take unilateral action, the next president must credibly convince Jerusalem that the United States will not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons capability.

Both to increase our leverage over Iran and to prepare for a military strike, if one were required, the next president will need to begin building up military assets in the region from day one.

 Daniel R. Coats, a former Republican senator from Indiana, and Charles S. Robb, a former Democratic senator from Virginia, are co-chairmen of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s national security task force on Iran.

Sen. Obama has stated as recently as Oct 3, 2008, that ” the use of military force should not be taken off the table when dealing with Iran, which he called “a threat to all of us.”  Sen McCain has stated that “We cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon”