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Monday, November 25, 2013

The Deal with Iran



This is one time I can understand the skepticism about trusting the Iranians to discontinue their development of a nuclear weapon. I don’t trust them either, but we’ll learn more in six months. We haven’t really spoken to them in 34 years. They have a new leader so why not give it a shot?

It didn’t surprise me that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not like this deal because anything short of dismantling all the centrifuges would have been unacceptable to him. I also expected Senator Lindsey Graham, Bill Kristol, the GOP and even a few Democrats to be against anything other than more sanctions. The Israeli lobby will be in full force trying to persuade Congress to balk at this deal. It’ll be interesting to see if Harry Reid brings up a bill calling for more sanctions in the next six months.

Joe Scarborough didn’t surprise me, when he said that the Iranian deal was a terrible, and he hurled another charge of competency at President Obama. Joe cracked me up when said some unnamed sources, his Arab connections, told him that they don’t know what side President Obama is on. Mr. Scarborough doesn’t understand why Sunni Arab countries don’t like the United States negotiating with Shiite countries like Iran. It’s like teenage girls not liking their best friend talking to someone outside their little clique. Joe was also upset because the administration did not tell Israel or Saudi Arabia about their secret talks with Iran five months ago. He said that it was unconscionable and disrespected our allies. I don’t think so because they would have disagreed with the meetings. It’s one of those “it’s easier to say you’re sorry than to ask for permission.

Bill Kristol was furious, saying that the sanctions were working, and we should do more. In 2003, Iran had 164 centrifuges under really tough sanctions. Today, they have 19, 000; you do the math. Things got kind of heated until Richard Haas, president of the Council Foreign Relations, asked Bill point blank, “what would you do short of starting a war, to get all those centrifuges dismantled?” “Bill Kristol said that some targeted strikes would not be considered a war.” I think it’s important what Iran would consider an act of war.

I remember the 2008 presidential campaign when Obama was labeled naïve for saying that we should negotiate with Iran. It was during that same campaign when Obama said he would go into Pakistan and get Osama bin Laden if he had information he was there. Those are two naive campaign promises that he kept. The Iranian deal may go awry but at the very least, we will know what they have been up  to and what they are capable of doing.

5 comments:

Edith Ann said...

What's the quote about war--War is the result of failed diplomacy.

Talk about a nuclear option! Where would we be is George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice had bothered to fire off some dialog instead of just bullets?

I don't know that I trust the Iranians, but BUT I appreciate the fact that they are attempting dialog.

Mike said...

Absolutely, and those you mentioned plus Dan Senor and Bill Kristol are now lecturing us on foreign policy. Well, Condi & Bush have enough sense to remain silent.

At least in 6 months to a year we will know our options because Iran has agreed to IAEA inspections and if they don't we can then take a different approach...Who can be against "giving peace a chance?"

We can't get all we want on the first try but at least we are on the bargaining table.

Edith Ann said...

You know how republicans struggle with irony.

Wasn't it Reagan who secretly met with and schemed with to sell missiles to the Iranians which they then used to kill nuns and other civilians in Central America?

Okay, Reagan worshippers can shut up now.

Edith Ann said...

Bush is far too busy for any of this--he is busy tying to convert Jews into Christians to bring about the Second Coming of Christ!

Mike said...

Well, the Iran-Contra deal was about selling arms for hostages and goes against the conservative talking point of not making deals with terrorists. But Reagan didn't remember all that...:-)

Yea,that converting Jews to Christians thing should be offensive to Jews. The Bush people don't know why the ex-president spoke at that event.