The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released a report on Tuesday that presented substantial evidence that Iran has an active secret program to become a nuclear power. The report established that Iran has taken many steps towards developing a nuclear weapon, including engaging in efforts to obtain a secure source of uranium, creating computer models of nuclear explosions, and researching nuclear triggers. Additionally, it has experimented with conventional explosives to compress metal into a dense mass able to start a chain reaction and has built a large containment vessel intended for testing the feasibility of such explosive compression.

Republican presidential candidates proved once again Tuesday night in Las Vegas that they are vastly unqualified to direct our country's foreign policy. Ron Paul advocated returning to a more isolationist stance during a discussion on defense cuts. Michele Bachmann suggested retaliation against Iran after the discovery of the recent attempt to attack a Saudi diplomat living in the U.S. But at no point of the debate was the lack of foreign policy experience clearer than when the candidates discussed cutting foreign aid.

Recently The 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Bill was passed by both chambers of Congress. This bill will repay the U.S.'s debt to the United Nations which has accumulated since 1999 and appropriates $906 million for peacekeeping operations. This bill is an important demonstration of President Obama's commitment to showing U.S. leadership through diplomacy as well as his commitment to engaging effectively with the United Nations.

I attended the House Foreign Affairs Committee Mark-Up Hearing for the Foreign Relations Authorization Bill today, and I was pleased to see that the Bill will be accepted with limited amendments. The amendments that have been added only seek to expand and suggest areas that the State Department should use its funds, not to inhibit the progress of or cut back on the amount of funding for State Department actions.