>{And neither will Mrs. Bill Clinton, Lefties. And you know it.}
>
>
>Cheney: US will not let Iran go nuclear
>
>By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer
>2 hours, 20 minutes ago
>
>LEESBURG, Va. - The United States and other nations will not allow
>Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, Vice President Dick Cheney said
>Sunday.
>
>"Our country, and the entire international community, cannot stand by
>as a terror-supporting state fulfills its grandest ambitions," Cheney
>said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Studies.
>
>He said Iran's efforts to pursue technology that would allow them to
>build a nuclear weapon are obvious and that "the regime continues to
>practice delay and deceit in an obvious effort to buy time."
>
>If Iran continues on its current course, Cheney said the U.S. and
>other nations are "prepared to impose serious consequences." The vice
>president made no specific reference to military action.
>
>"We will not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon," he said.
>
>Cheney's words seemed to only escalate the U.S. rhetoric against Iran
>over the past several days, including President Bush's warning that a
>nuclear Iran could lead to "World War III."
>
>Cheney said the ultimate goal of the Iranian leadership is to
>establish itself as the hegemonic force in the Middle East and
>undermine a free Shiite-majority Iraq as a rival for influence in the
>Muslim world.
>
>Iran's government seeks "to keep Iraq in a state of weakness to ensure
>Baghdad does not pose a threat to Tehran," Cheney said.
>
>While he was critical of that government and President Mahmoud
>Ahmedinejad, he offered praise and words of solidarity to the Iranian
>people. Iran "is a place of unlimited potential ... and it has the
>right to be free of tyranny," Cheney said.
>
>Cheney accused of Iran of having a direct role in the deaths of U.S.
>soldiers in Iraq and said the government has "solidified its grip on
>the country" since coming to power in 1979.
>
>The U.S. and some allies accuse Iran of secretly trying to develop
>nuclear weapons and have demanded it halt uranium enrichment, an
>important step in the production of atomic weapons. Oil-rich Iran says
>its program is for peaceful purposes including generating electricity.
>
>At a news conference Wednesday, Bush suggested that if Iran obtained
>nuclear weapons, it could lead to a new world war.
>
>"I've told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III,
>it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them (Iran)
>from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush
>said.
>
>Bush's spokeswoman later said the president was making not making any
>war plans but rather "a rhetorical point."
>
>Also, on Thursday, the top officer in the U.S. military said the U.S.
>has the resources to attack Iran if needed despite the strains of wars
>in Iraq and Afghanistan.
>
>Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
>said striking Iran is a last resort, and the focus now on diplomacy to
>stem Iran's nuclear ambitions, but "there is more than enough reserve
>to respond" militarily if need be.
>
>The Bush administration's intentions toward Iran have been the subject
>of debate in Congress.
>
>Last month the Senate approved a resolution urging the State
>Department to label Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a
>terrorist organization.
>
>Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., said he feared the measure could be interpreted
>as authorizing a military strike in Iran, calling it Cheney's "fondest
>pipe dream."