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Given Iran's continued belligerence toward the U.S. presence in the gulf, the prospect of further hostilities involving American forces is likely to keep Congress -- and eventually the U.S. public -- on edge. Yet the President seems determined to prevent interference with a policy that is just beginning to show results. To invoke the War Powers Resolution now, says a senior White House aide, would "introduce 60 days of uncertainty in a situation where we are now getting great credit for our dependability."
The critical issue, says a Western diplomat in the gulf emirate of Abu Dhabi, "is whether the U.S. has the guts to stick it out. The downfall of the Shah and the bugout from Lebanon are vividly remembered here as examples of an American collapse of will." The trap that was snapped on the Iran Ajr last week demonstrated more than improved American military capability. It sent a message about renewed American resolve, and the White House does not want that to evaporate.