âIs it the position of this administration that it possesses the authority to take unilateral action against Iran, in the absence of a direct threat, without congressional approval?â Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) asked Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice during a Senate hearing January 11th. He’s still waiting for an answer.
After a couple weeks of radio silence, Webb sent a letter again requesting a response last week. But despite his urging for clarity of what was “basically, a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question,” the answer he finally received wasn’t good enough.
The written response, sent to Webb from one of Rice’s assistant secretaries last week, “didn’t adequately answer the specific question,” according to Webb’s spokeswoman, Jessica Smith. “It wasn’t a form letter,” she said, but it “was not responsive to the question.”
Webb continues to push for an answer, Smith said.
Update: Here’s Webb speaking yesterday about the administration’s plans for Iran.