Bush pressured on 'bunker-buster' bombs but opposes Israeli strike on Iran
WASHINGTON — President George Bush was pressured by key members of
Congress to approve an Israeli request for bunker-busting air bombs.
Political sources said key Republicans in Congress with access to Bush
demanded that the administration approve a long-standing Israeli request for
the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. The source said Bush was warned that denying
Israel the bunker-busters would threaten Bush's agenda in his remaining
months in office as well as Republican prospects in the November 2008
election.
But the officials said Bush was also persuaded that the GBU-39 was not suitable
for an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, Middle East Newsline reported. The 250-pound
integrated derivative of the Joint Direct Attack Munition was not regarded
as sufficiently powerful to penetrate underground Iranian nuclear plants.
"The administration wants to stop an Israeli attack on Iran at any
cost," the political source said.
"It was not a pleasant exchange," a GOP source said. "It was raw power
that changed Bush's mind."
The source said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense
Secretary Robert Gates opposed Israel's requests for the GBU-39 as well as
other advanced systems. Ms. Rice and Gates were said to have warned that the
Israeli request could be used to attack Iran and Syria and hamper a U.S.
reconciliation effort in the Middle East.
"In the end, it was Bush's call and he overruled Condi and Gates," the
source said. "The White House said it was an election year and we have to
hold our noses."
The sources said they did not want to identify the members of Congress
who lobbied for the Israeli request. They said this would embarrass the
White House and rule out future cooperation with those members of Congress.
The White House, under congressional pressure, also approved Israel's
requests for the modernization of the PAC-2 missile defense system to PAC-3
configuration,
as well as anti-tank and other systems. But the administration refused an
Israeli request for an advanced aircraft sensor pod designed to facilitate
long-range attacks by the F-15 fighter-jet in all weather.
