The U.S. Senate passed the Defense Authorization Bill on September 26, which laid out U.S. military spending for the 2008 fiscal year. The Bill passed 76-22.
The Kyl-Lieberman Amendment, which is a non-binding resolution that deems Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard as a terrorist organization, was also attached to the military budget plan. Sponsored by Sen. Jon Kyl, R, Ariz., and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I, Conn., the bill is the Senate's response to Iran's influence on Shi'a militia against the coalition forces in Iraq, along with their recent request for nuclear power.
"It should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran" according to Article three of the Amendment, also known as the Sense of Senate.
The amendment sited testimonies from General David Petraeus and Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. Petraeus testified that Iran "plays a harmful role" in Iraq, and it provides "lethal capabilities to the Iraqi State", while Crocker testified to seeing no support from Iran to Shi'a militia in Iraq at the congressional hearings.
The testimonies from both Petraeus and Crocker provoked Kyl and Lieberman into forming the non-binding resolution under the Sense of the Senate. A clause that simply states what the Senate "thinks" about Iran's presence in Iraq.
"It is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from turning Shi'a militia extremists in Iraq into a Hezbollah-like force that could serve its interest inside Iraq," according to Article of the Sense of the Senate.
The Kly-Lieberman Amendment suggests that the United States to use all instruments of power against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including military power.
Democratic nominee, Sen. Hillary Clinton, voted for the amendment. Other nominees, Sen., Barack Obama, D, Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R, Ariz., did not vote at all.
Indiana senators split the votes. Evan Bayh, D, Ind., voted for the Amendment, while Richard Lugar, R, Ind., voted against it. To the 76 member of the Senate who voted for the Kyl-Lieberman, the term "terrorist organization" embodies the Islamic Republic of Iran, but according to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the terrorist organization is the U.S.
"Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed," Ahmadinejad said while in a meeting with Syria's foreign minister after his controversial visit to the United States.
Ahmadinejad has made threats to Israel several times, over several years, but he has now added the United States, particularly the CIA, to the list due to new resolutions against Iran, as well as sanctions from the U.N. Security Council on Iran attaining nuclear power.
Some of the 22 members of the Senate who voted against the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment fear that this built-up aggression, economic sanctions and terrorist labeling of Iran mirrors pre-dawn warnings of the Iraq War, a war that some members of the Senate who voted for the resolutions are now against, including Hillary Clinton.
Jim Webb, D, VA, whose son is in the military, argued against adding the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill.
"Those who regret their vote five years ago to authorize military action in Iraq should think hard before supporting this approach," said Webb.
According to Webb, the added amendment is an unofficial "declaration of war" on Iran that stretches the meaning of the word terrorist organization, it puts too much power in the hands of congress, who define terrorist organizations.
The House of Representatives, which is where budget planning begins, passed a similar legislation that required more sanctions on Iran. However, it did not mention using "military instruments" like the Kyl-Lieberman Amendment.
The House and the Senate will now search for a joint resolution on the Defense Authorization Bill before presenting it to the president.
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