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Playing Politics on Iran

COMMENTARY BY DR JOHN WORLDPEACE FOR PRESIDENT 2016

It is truly incredible what is going on in Washington right now.

The Republicans have so much hatred for Obama they are allowing it to bleed into a high priority need to bring Iran's nuclear policy in line with a consensus among European leaders. Progress is being made and yet the Republican Congress and Senate want to make it hard for the President and other major nations to resolve the matter in peace.

Congress invited Mr. Netanyahu to come and speak about the Iranian issue and undeniably try to get Mr. Netanyahu to help the American Congress and Senate to force President Obama to succumb to the legislative will.

This undeniably shows the Republicans willing to put American lives at risk so they can handicap President Obama. This is a level of viciousness that goes beyond the Republicans shutting down the government in 2013.

But what is worse, is that Mr. Netanyahu is joining forces with the U S legislative branch of government. Just the fact that Mr. Netanyahu, a foreign power, is trying to force the hand of the President of the United States hand with regards to Iran is enough for President Obama to in some way send a clear message to Mr. Netanyahu to immediately but out.

The perfect move for President Obama would be to make an appeal to the Israeli's directly that they need to replace Mr. Netanyahu with someone who President Obama can continue to work with and to put some teeth into that message; add on to it some negative side effects that are going to be implemented if Mr. Netanyahu even comes to Washington.

It is unprecedented bad faith on the part of Mr. Netanyahu who states often that no one controls Israel to come to America and initiate disparaging actions against the most powerful leader in the world.

Americans cannot allow Israel to try to thwart America's best interest.

Mr. Netanyahu is playing with an Anti-Semitism backlash with Americans playing these kinds of arrogant games with deadly serious issues like Iran.

Mr. Netanyahu needs to decide he has something better to do than visit the U S Congress and Senate.

Dr John WorldPeace

150124 1225 MT

SOURCE: The New York Times

Playing Politics on Iran

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

JAN. 23, 2015

Normally, the visit of a world leader to the United States would be arranged by the White House. But in a breach of sense and diplomacy, House Speaker John Boehner and Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, have taken it upon themselves to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to Congress to challenge President Obama’s approach to achieving a nuclear agreement with Iran.

Mr. Netanyahu, facing an election on March 17, apparently believes that winning the applause of Congress by rebuking Mr. Obama will bolster his standing as a leader capable of keeping Israel safe. Mr. Boehner seems determined to use whatever means is available to undermine and attack Mr. Obama on national security policy.

Lawmakers have every right to disagree with presidents; so do foreign leaders. But this event, to be staged in March a mile from the White House, is a hostile attempt to lobby Congress to enact more sanctions against Iran, a measure that Mr. Obama has rightly threatened to veto.

In his State of the Union address, Mr. Obama laid out an approach to international engagement that includes shrinking America’s military commitments overseas and negotiating limits on Iran’s nuclear activities in return for a gradual lifting of sanctions. A move by Congress to pass legislation proposing new sanctions could blow up the talks and divide the major powers that have been united in pressuring Iran. Given an excuse to withdraw from talks, Iran could accelerate its nuclear program, curbed for a year under an interim agreement, and force the United States or Israel to use military action or a cyberattack to keep Tehran from producing nuclear weapons.

In a recent Washington Post op-ed article, the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and the European Union also implored Congress to hold off on new sanctions. Similar messages have come from scores of other experts, including two former American national security advisers, Brent Scowcroft, a Republican, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Democrat. According to Secretary of State John Kerry, even Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, warned Congress that new sanctions would scuttle the talks, saying it would “be like throwing a grenade into the process.” Mossad later tried to paper over any perceived differences with Mr. Netanyahu.

Mr. Netanyahu has long defined Iran as Israel’s top threat and made clear his contempt for negotiations. Like his Congressional allies, however, he has never offered a real alternative, except more sanctions (which can’t work if the rest of the world eases up on Iran) or military action. If a deal is finally reached and Congress finds it lacking, tougher sanctions can be imposed then.

Domestic politics are also at work. Republicans apparently see value in trying to sabotage any possible success for Mr. Obama, even if it harms American interests.

As for Mr. Netanyahu, it’s hard to see how disrespecting an American president whom even he says has significantly advanced Israel’s security can benefit his country.

There is no doubt that Mr. Obama will maintain America’s security commitments to Israel, whatever the tensions over the Iran issue. But this event is bound to further harm a bilateral relationship that has endured a lot of battering over the past six years. The White House has said that, understandably, Mr. Obama will not meet with Mr. Netanyahu when he is in town. Even Mr. Kerry, who recently called almost 50 world leaders in an effort to block the Palestinians’ attempt to join the International Criminal Court, is losing patience with Mr. Netanyahu’s decision to “play politics,” according to his aides. Can Mr. Netanyahu really afford to dismiss such allies?