House Silent on British Hostage Crisis

[leobold1]

House Silent on British Hostage Crisis

Mar 30 04:00 PM US/Eastern
By ANNE FLAHERTY
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Members of the House left Washington on Friday for their two-week spring break without weighing in on the international crisis tormenting the nation's closest ally: the capture of 15 British sailors and marines by Iran.
The omission by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is being noted by some Republicans, who say they should have gotten the chance to join the Senate in denouncing Tehran's bold actions.

"I am very disappointed that the speaker chose not to act," said Rep. Charles Dent, R-Pa.

"I believe it's important for us as Americans to show our solidarity with the Britons," he added in a phone interview Friday. "The British are our closest allies, and I think we have to stand next to them in a moment like this."

The Senate on Thursday, before adjourning for its one-week break, passed a resolution condemning the act "in the strongest possible terms" and calling for the sailors "immediate, safe and unconditional release."

Pelosi's spokesman Brendan Daly said the speaker was reluctant to weigh in on the incident without knowing that such a message would do more good than harm. Daly said the British government had not asked Congress to try to pressure Tehran.

"The leadership discussed it and agreed that inserting Congress into an international crisis while ongoing would not be helpful," Daly said.

Pelosi is traveling in the Middle East, where she plans to visit Syria, Israel and the West Bank.

The sailors were seized on March 23 off the Iraqi coast while searching merchant ships for evidence of smuggling. Britain insists the seven Royal marines and eight sailors were taken in Iraqi waters and has said no admission of error would be made.

Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., says Congress should not only call for the release of the British personnel but also should press the United Nations to explore harsher sanctions against Tehran.

Cantor, the GOP's chief deputy whip, pressed Pelosi this week to pass the measure.

"The illegal seizure of the British forces is a signal that Iran views us as powerless to prevent it from realizing its aggressive ambitions," Cantor wrote in a letter to Pelosi.

[ptco911]

They are letting their official spokesperson Rosie O'Donnel handle that.

[Caldric]

We should remain silent. Because we all know that if that were US troops there would have been a fight. The British ROE is stupid period. Send your soldiers into a war zone with those rules? My arse hurts.

I have nothing but respect for our British friends but they are going to have to take some sort of stance on this crap. The EU also for that matter.

If they don't then next year we can expect to see a repeat. I have seen endless comments about "too bad it wasn't US troops". Let me tell you something our ROE is different and the Seals or Marines would have fought and a Ticonderoga Cruiser would have wiped those Iranian Patrol boats off the face of their digital screens. The same can be said about the Cornwall which is not some third world nations gun boat but a state of the art Frigate which can destroy many targets easy with its harpoons.

Honestly I feel nothing but shame for the British. They were slapped across the face not once but twice in so many years. I will back anything they chose to do except lay down.

The Royal Navy is something to look up to but I can't understand the strike to the pride not once but twice.