Connie Mack Blasts Iranian Leader

From his perch on the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, Republican Congressman Connie Mack may focus more on Latin American issues but he is slowly emerging as a leading voice on other aspects of foreign policy. Case in point, with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the U.N. on Monday, Mack blasted the Iranian leader for his intemperate remarks.

A day before arriving in New York for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty conference, Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated that his country cuts any hand that signs a document against Iran and offered that he had documents to prove that Washington is the root of world terrorism, said Mack. These vile statements, and the hateful comments he made against the United States and Israel at the conference this afternoon, beg the question of why he was yet again allowed to spread his hateful, venomous rhetoric on American soil.

The Obama Administration must send Ahmadinejad a strong message that the United States will not back down, we will not tolerate Irans aggressive nuclear development, and we will continue to stand for freedom and democracy around the world, added Mack. We can do that by immediately enacting meaningful sanctions designed to cripple the Iranian regime, Ahmadinejad, and the mullahs.

Macks increasingly finding his voice on international affairs and he has done well in defending his congressional seat. With his father remaining one of the most popular Republicans in Florida, Mack would be a natural fit for seeking a Senate seat down the road.

While 2012 is a long way off, Bill Nelson will be up for a third term. There is some speculation that George LeMieux, appointed to the U.S. Senate by his old boss Charlie Crist, is considering a bid against Nelson. But Mack could offer Nelson a real race. Its tempting to dismiss Mack as a lightweight who benefits from a father who served in the Senate and a wife in Congress who is best known for being Sonny Bonos widow. But Mack has become one of the leading Republicans in Congress on foreign policy and should not be written off.