Rep. Jim Himes: “The President Has Taken A Massive, Massive Gamble Here, Some Chance It Works Out”
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, warned on ABC’s “This Week” that “it’s way too early to tell how this plays out” with Iran. “We’ve seen this movie before… And then, over time, we start to learn what the cost is,” he said. “I would keep the optimism under the hat for a little while yet.”
REPRESENTATIVE JIM HIMES: Obviously enriched uranium was still at Fordow or Natanz. This raid was signaled many days in advance. It’s not inconceivable the Iranians-not being dumb people-might have put this stuff on a truck and taken it elsewhere. In which case, we closed a bunch of tunnels in a mountain. It’s way too early to tell what the actual effect on the nuclear program is. It’s way too early to tell how this plays out, right? We’ve seen this movie before. Every conflict in the Middle East has its senators-Tom Cottons-who promise us a mushroom cloud. In Libya, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, it looked pretty good. The Taliban is again [in power]. And then, over time, we start to learn what the cost is. 4,400 Americans dead in Iraq. The Taliban back in power. So, bottom line, the president has taken a massive, massive gamble here. Some chance it works out. I’m, as a member of Congress, disturbed this was undertaken without congressional approval. There’s not much ambiguity about who gets to approve these things. Bottom line is we don’t know. And if you look at the three conflicts I just mentioned, I would keep the optimism under the hat for a little while yet.
