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Gordon Clark speaking at a UFPJ assembly, February 2005
(Photo: Thomas Good / NLN)

SILVER SPRING, Md. — 8th District congressional candidate Gordon Clark released the following statement today in response to Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland- adding his name on June 24th as a co-sponsor of House Concurrent Resolution 362:

“It is remarkable that Rep. Van Hollen has added his name to the outrageous and provocative House Concurrent Resolution 362, a resolution that is tantamount to a declaration of war on Iran,” Clark said.

“The measure ‘demands that the President initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran to verifiably suspend its nuclear enrichment activities by, inter alia, prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.’

“Putting aside the fact that our own intelligence agencies concluded just last year that Iran had suspended any active nuclear weapons program, the measure to which Rep. Van Hollen has now added his signature effectively calls for a land, air, and sea blockade of Iran, which is an act of war. How else could we possibly ‘prohibit the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products,’ or ‘impose stringent inspection requirements’ on all people and cargo entering Iran?’

“We must be clear: this resolution to which Rep. Van Hollen has now added his name is unprecedented. It is not mere saber-rattling. It is practically goading the Bush Administration - or the next Administration - into starting a war with Iran.

“At a time when Israel is conducting dialogue with its adversaries Syria and Lebanon, and negotiating truces with Hamas, it is beyond comprehension that our government refuses to even speak with Iran - and that our Democratic-controlled Congress is now passing measures to escalate tensions to the boiling point.

“Rep. Van Hollen claims that the Iraq war is ‘Bush’s war,” conveniently ignoring that it is a Democratic House - which Rep. Van Hollen himself helps leads as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee - which continues to fund the war, including the $162 billion they approved just last week. Now Rep. Van Hollen has attached his name to a measure that is a major step toward war with Iran, a conflict that would dwarf even the Iraq war in its deadly, chaotic and destabilizing effect on the Middle East and world.

“I call on Rep. Van Hollen to remove his name from H. Con. Res. 362 immediately, and to do everything in his power to keep this terribly destructive measure from passing.”

Gordon Clark is the Green Party candidate for U. S. Congress from Maryland’s 8th District.

Original post by Thomas Good and reposted by Radical Blogs