Obama's Nuclear Deal With Iran: Rare Victory for Peace or Foolish Compromise?

Historic Deal

On Tuesday, President Obama, World Powers, and Iran agreed on a Historic Nuclear Pact phasing out economic sanctions in return for curbs on Iran's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama said the deal with Tehran ensures that "every pathway to a nuclear weapon" has been cut off.

"We have stopped the spread of nuclear weapons in this region," he said in an early-morning statement that — in a rare move — was carried on Iranian television

Republicans Blast Deal

The Bustle reports Republicans Respond To The Iran Deal With Every Bit As Much Vitriol As You’d Expect — And Then Some.

“I have said from the beginning of this process that I would not support a deal with Iran that allows the mullahs to retain the ability to develop nuclear weapons, threaten Israel, and continue their regional expansionism and support for terrorism,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in a statement on Tuesday. “Based on what we know thus far, I believe that this deal undermines our national security.”

“I expect that a significant majority in Congress will share my skepticism of this agreement and vote it down,” said Rubio, calling on the next president to effectively wipe the slate clean once again and trash the deal. “It will … be left to the next President to return us to a position of American strength and re-impose sanctions on this despicable regime …”

Rubio’s GOP counterparts were equally displeased. “Iran’s Supreme Leader should know that a future American president will not be bound by this diplomatic retreat,” said Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in a statement on Tuesday morning. “Undoing the damage caused by this deal won’t be easy [but] when the United States leads, and has a President who isn’t eager to embrace Iran, the world will follow.”

As president, on my very first day going forward, I would pull back, I would terminate that bad deal with Iran completely on day one. I would then put in place crippling economic sanctions against Iran, and I’d convince our allies to do the same. This is not a country we should be doing business with.

“This is the most dangerous, irresponsible step I’ve ever seen in the history of watching the Mideast,” said South Carolina Senator (and 2016 hopeful) Lindsey Graham in a visit to MSNBC’s Morning Joe on Tuesday. “You’ve ensured that the Arabs will go nuclear … put Israel in the worst possible box [and it] will be a death over time sentence to Israel if they don’t push back,” added Lindsey, directing his commentary to the president.

Democrats Lukewarm

Not even the Democrats seemed pleased with the announcement. The Hill reports Dems Hold Judgment on Iran Deal.

Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and other Democrats are taking a wait-and-see approach to the Iran nuclear deal announced by President Obama on Tuesday morning. Schumer, who is poised to lead Senate Democrats in the next Congress, said he would go through the agreement with a “fine-tooth comb” and speak to administration officials.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) also stopped short of endorsing the deal.

Sen. Bob Menendez (N.J.), a former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee is the only Senate Democrat so far to publicly criticize the agreement. "The bottom line is: The deal doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear program — it preserves it," he said in a statement. Menendez's influence in the Democratic caucus has waned, however, since he stepped down as the senior Democrat on Foreign Relations after being indicted on corruption charges.

Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.), the most vulnerable Senate Democratic incumbent of the 2016 election cycle, echoed Reid’s caution. “We will carefully scrutinize the terms of this agreement. The stakes are high, and the details of this deal matter,” he said.

The Republicans hate the deal, and the Democrats seems to be holding their noses while semi-supporting it. Is anyone happy?

Bernie Sanders is Happy

The Hill reports "One of the most enthusiastic responses in the Democratic caucus came from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination on a liberal platform."

Let me point out that Bernie Sanders is an Independent. He merely caucuses with with the Democratic party.

Here is Sanders' statement: "I congratulate President Obama, Secretary Kerry and the leaders of other major nations for producing a comprehensive agreement to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This is a victory for diplomacy over saber-rattling and could keep the United States from being drawn into another never-ending war in the Middle East."

Is Anyone Else Happy?

Yes, Me.

So is David Stockman, libertarians in general, and anyone, regardless of political party, who can think clearly.

I have not thought about it this way before, but if no one in Washington is happy, I probably am.

I exempt compromises in which both sides got something and parties are unhappy only because the other side got anything at all.

War Mongering Fools

It's high time both parties party rid themselves of warmongering fools like Marco Rubio, Scott Walker, Lindsey Graham, and Bob Menendez.

Rubio and Walker are particularly troubling. In the past I have praised Walker for taking on the public unions in Wisconsin, but I cannot support anyone with warmongering views as extreme as his.

They claim among other things "The US cannot trust Iran".

If they had an ounce of common sense, they might ask the question: "Why the hell should Iran trust the US?"

1. The irony should be obvious. Rubio and Walker promised to renege on the deal in advance.
2. The US blew Iraq to smithereens under president Bush for no reason at all. The WOMD threat was a known lie. The Republican party's primary excuse was that Hillary supported the war. This only proves war-mongering idiocy has no political party bounds.
3. The US backs Israel no matter what Israel does.
4. The US, with cooperation from the British, overthrew a democratically elected government in Iran and installed a US puppet suitable to US oil interests. The Iranian coup d'état was named "Operation Boot" in the UK, and "TPAJAX" in the US.
5. US idiocy in Iraq spawned ISIS. The result was that Iran and the US became allies in the fight, but we did not want their help. Politics at any cost got in the way.

Lesson for Hypocrites

US hypocrites have some nerve bitching we cannot trust Iran, when Iran has every right not to trust the US!

I commented on this before, on April 6, 2015 in History Lesson for Hypocrites, Warmongers, and Fools.

In 2013, under freedom of information lawsuits, the Guardian reported CIA Admits Role in 1953 Iranian Coup.

Netanyahu Lesson from 2002

Here's another history lesson: Who said "If You Take Out Saddam, I Guarantee It Will Have Enormous Positive Reverberations".

Here's the answer: Benjamin Netanyahu in 2002.

Gingrich vs. Reagan 1985

Anyone recall what Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich said about Ronald Reagan's meeting with Gorbachev in 1985?

The answer is amusing: Gingrich called it "the most dangerous summit for the West since Adolf Hitler met with Neville Chamberlain in 1938 in Munich."

War in Iraq

And the War with Iraq? In 2003 Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz said "the war could be done on the cheap and that it would largely pay for itself."

Here we are trillions of dollars later and counting. And ISIS is a direct result of that stupid war with Iraq.

Fighting ISIS

In 2013 the Washington Post stated Iraq and Afghanistan Wars Costs Top $4 Trillion.

The Washington Post forgot to factor in ISIS.

Did Iran Threaten to "Wipe Israel off the Map"?

The Hitler Card players in both parties keep referring to an alleged statement by Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "Wipe Israel Off the Map".

The problem is twofold.

1. Ahmadinejad was not the power broker in Iran.
2. The translation was not even correct.

Ahmadinejad was actually referring to a statement made by leader Khamenei in which Khamenei said in Persian “Een rezhim-i eshghalgar-i Quds bayad az sahneh-i ruzgar mahv shaved.” This means, “This occupation regime over Jerusalem must vanish from the arena of time.”

Anonymous wire service translators rendered Khomeini as saying that Israel "must be wiped off the face of the map."

The myth still persists to this day. President Bush, and Even President Obama have used it when it suits their purpose.

And of course, every time that I have spoken favorably of the agreement, I hear the same "wipe the map" nonsense from readers.

Rare Victory for Peace

Due to political divisiveness, political leaders are never willing to say the other side did anything right.

That's why I will never be a political leader. I bash Obama often enough, and for many things. But I equally bash the warmongers who have been wrong every which way, and virtually every time!

This was a rare victory for peace.

I am proud of the fact that I stood against the Vietnam War, I was against the War in Iraq, and I have been on the right side of the Iran debate from the beginning.

I echo Ronald Reagan's former budget director David Stockman who says All Praise To Barack Obama For Stiffing The War Party—- Peace Is Finally Being Given A Chance.

I even go one step further and encourage President Obama to resume normal relations with Iran. Only good can come from such talks.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com