Sunday morning political rewind

(LIN) – Reaction to the fallout of an alleged assassination plot against a Saudi ambassador came swiftly on Sunday when some lawmakers called for President Barack Obama's administration to consider action.

The suspected plan, which was foiled with the joint efforts of the Central Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, called for a Texas used car salesman, Manssor Arbabsiar, to recruit a drug trafficker to set a bomb off at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Washington D.C. The intent was to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S., Adel Al-Jubeir.

However, the man who Arbabsiar was aiming to recruit for the job, turned out to be an informant for the U.S.

In addition, the finances to do the job were traced back to one of the elite organizations in the Iranian National Guard, the Quds Force.

While legislators praised the work of the cooperating U.S. departments, then real question is how will the U.S. respond?

On Sunday, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said Iran’s suspected role in the plot adds to their anti-U.S. fervor. “We should respond,” he said . “We need to put pressure on Russia and China…stand with us or against us.”

On Fox , Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., shared some insight of a possible reaction. “I was briefed in the beginning of September,” she said of the plot. “It sounded doubtful.”

However, Feinstein said on Sunday that “Arbabsiar essentially 'fessed up…the money was transferred.”

While lawmakers mull over a response, Feinstein believes it won’t be an easy decision. “It’s difficult to go after the Quds Force. How do you do it? I’ve never seen a plan to do it. It probably would escalate to a war with Iran. Our country shouldn’t be looking to go to war.”

However, she does believe another set of sanctions against Iran are in order.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pointed his finger at the Obama administration when it came to relations with Iran. “The policy of engaging Iran has been a failure,” he said. Like Rogers, McCain believes international pressure on Iran would force them to abandon shadowy practices. “Get tough with the Chinese and Russians,” he said. “As president, covert activities should be considered.”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayotollah Khomenei and Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinjad denied any affiliation with the plot.

MLK Dedication

Also on Sunday, a new Martin Luther King Jr. monument was unveiled in Washington D.C. A number of speakers dedicated the project including President Barack Obama, King’s sister Christine King Farris and two of his children.

Fellow freedom marcher, Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., was also at the ceremony and talked about the significance of the memorial dedication in pre-recorded interviews on Sunday. “I can hear him speaking right now,” Lewis said of his former mentor King.

“Forty-eight years after the march we are going to dedicate and unveil an unbelievable monument to a man who was never elected to public office,” Lewis said.

Lewis credited the non-violent preacher and activist with opening his eyes to the plight of race relations during the 1960s. “King freed me,” and were it not for his intervention, “we would have had another civil war,” he said.

The congressman expected an emotional dedication ceremony Sunday. “If I have any tears left,” he said, “I’m going to cry.”

Election 2012

To compliment the recent dive in the polls by 2012 presidential candidate Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, fellow presidential hopeful businessman Herman Cain enjoyed a surge in momentum over the last couple of weeks.

Cain was on “ Meet the Press ” Sunday discussing among other things, his famed “999” tax plan. While critics and other candidates are balking at Cain’s plan, the former CEO of Godfather Pizza believes the simplistic nature of the plan will woo Republican primary voters and eventually the general electorate.

Of his plan, Cain argues that while “some people will pay more, most people will pay less.” After host David Gregory argued that the “999” plan would add to state taxes, Cain said, “This is a replacement structure. Your state taxes are the same and your federal taxes will go down. State taxes have nothing to do with replacing the tax code.”

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Former House Speaker and fellow presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., called Cain a “good friend” on Sunday’s edition of “ State of the Union. ” The former legislator attributed Cain’s recent rise as more of a “vacuum effect” after “Perry stumbled in debates.”

Gingrich, who recently enjoyed a moderate bump in the polls as well, hopes to chip away at the lead of former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass. While the Republican field appeared to have changed dynamics over the course of the race, it’s been Romney who has been the steadiest