On the recordNovember 30, 2011
Mr. President, first, I rise in full support of this amendment, and I thank Senator Menendez for his leadership on this issue, which dates from a long time back, and Senator Kirk, who has really lit a flame of concern under this body about this issue, and justifiably so. They have done a great job, and I thank both of them for their strong efforts. I believe when it comes to Iran we should never take the military option off the table, but I have long argued that economic sanctions should be tried first and could be actually very effective in choking Iran's nuclear ambitions before any military option need be considered. But they have to be done strongly, they have to be done well, and they have to be done toughly. Earlier this month, the report on Iran's nuclear program by the IAEA was alarming and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that, despite the lies--and there is no other word to use--by the Iranian Government, they are developing a nuclear weapon. According to recent reports, Iran could have at least one workable nuclear weapon within a year and another maybe 6 months after that. The new information shows that Iran has been working relentlessly to acquire the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. Additionally, the IAEA report details a highly organized program dedicated to acquiring the skills necessary to produce and test a bomb. So I say to America and the world: Enough is enough.…
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