American Jewish leader: Don't rule out Bush on Iran

By ETGAR LEFKOVITS
US President George W. Bush is committed to dealing with the Iranian nuclear program even as he enters his last year of office, a senior American Jewish leader said Wednesday. "Bush does not want to leave the situation worse than he found it," said Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Hoenlein said that Bush was not going to be a lame duck president in his final year in office and that events in the coming year would dictate what he would do. He added that an additional round of sanctions set to be imposed on the Islamic Republic were "not as strong as we would like," noting that tough oil and banking sanctions are more effective that most analysts think. A recent American intelligence report indicating Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003 has led some to speculate that the Iranian issue will only be dealt with by Bush's successor.