The following is the text of Ike Skelton's statement concerning Iran. By way of personal disclosure, Ike was my father-in-law's lawyer before he was elected to congress. That was many, many years ago. I have met him on several occasions. Like most of us here in metropolitian KC, I like him. He is a straight shooter, if somewhat conservative. My mother-in-law and her sisters think the world of him. His constituent services are first rate. That is one of the reasons that, while the rest of rural Missouri has gone Republican, he has easily beaten down Republican challenge after Republican challenge. Whiteman Air Force Base is located just down 50 highway from the little college town of Warrensburg smack in the middle of his district. Whiteman is the home of the B-2 stealth bomber. Generally, when Skelton talks on a military subject, like Jack Murtha, he is voicing real concerns he has heard from those within the military.
Washington D.C.- Today House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton released the following statement regarding two news reports on Iranian activities related to Iraq and Al Qaeda:
"I strongly condemn anyone who produces, distributes, or uses improvised explosive devices or other deadly weapons against U.S. troops. Suggestions of Iranian involvement in providing these weapons that kill or maim American troops are extremely serious and require careful Congressional scrutiny. We must do everything we can to ensure the safety of our forces serving in Iraq.
"Any attempt by Iran to arm militias in Iraq, whatever their ethnic or religious loyalties, would further destabilize the situation in Iraq, escalating the serious violence and making any political accommodation among sectarian groups more difficult. Iran could instead play a much more productive role in Iraq by encouraging the political compromises necessary to achieve national reconciliation among the various ethnic and religious parties in Iraq.
"The reported capture and detention of hundreds of Al Qaeda operatives in Iran is also a significant development. Al Qaeda is our major target in the war on terror. We must understand and undermine the complex networks they are using to try to attack American forces and interests.
"Today's articles in the New York Times and the Washington Post demonstrate just how urgent it is that the United States adopts a strategy that extensively engages Iran on these and other issues, while making clear that any contributions to attacks on American forces is unacceptable.
"The House Armed Services Committee will continue to investigate the issues raised today and any actions by or policy changes involving the American military in dealing with Iran. Briefings delivered to the committee to date have not made clear the specificity or extent of the information that intelligence agencies have gathered.
"We will carefully review the material presented at the briefing I understand will be provided by the command of Multi-National Forces-Iraq in the near future. Congress will insist on looking at all of the evidence, as well as at what the administration has planned and what kinds of measures are required to address the situation."
Skelton spoke in response to an article in the New York Times detailing U.S. intelligence indicating Iranian involvement in the production and distribution of a certain especially deadly form of improvised explosive device known as an "explosively formed penetrator" and in response to a Washington Post article which details the detention of several wanted Al Qaeda operatives by Iran.
Some might claim that Skelton is giving support to Administration war hawks. Given the reference to Iran's capture and detention of Al Qaeda suspects I think that is a misreading of the statement. I think he is telling the Administration that it is time to look closely at the nature of Iranian involvement. It is a time for discussion and not slogans. Skelton is calling for active diplomatic engagement with Tehran, not war.
