rickyp wrote:fate
If everyone starts with a perfect score of 100, Mr. Brown loses 40 points for serving under Carter. It's an op-ed, not the Bible. Mr. Brown is not infallible
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So what?
Here's "so what." Mr. Brown has an opinion; he's not necessarily correct. There are contrasting opinions; they are not necessarily wrong. We can post endless op-eds.
He made this statement.
If congressional action prevents U.S. adherence to the deal, Iran would likely go full bore on its nuclear weapons program. The most informed opinions suggest that Iran could then have nuclear weapons in two years. Opponents of the deal warn that in 10 to 15 years’ time, the deal allows Iran to be only a couple of years away from a nuclear weapon. Why does accepting that danger now seem to bother opponents less than coping with a danger that might be 10 years away?
So, since Obama made a lousy deal, Congress is bound to tie itself to it so they can share in the ignominy history will attach to this deal? That's quite an argument.
Please answer that last question.
First, I would note it's a lousy question. The President is not an Emperor, no matter how much he thinks he is.
Second, why can't we hold the President to what he promised in the first place? Why isn't Iran dismantling its program like he promised? Why is Iran getting the conventional arms trade ban lifted? Why is Iran getting green lit on its ICBM program?
Brown's argument is thus: the captain of the ship is going down with the ship, if the crew fails to go down with him, what shame there will be!
Again, as Dershowitz pointed out, Obama took every other option off the table, then negotiated a crappy deal, and now, for some reason, the only course of action anyone else can take is to fall in line? Obama created this problem and the rest of us just have to suck it up?
The reality is this: if the deal goes down in flames. the President has already hinted he will "go it alone"--ignore the Congressional vote. Frankly, I'd love to see it. Maybe he can get himself impeached.
Furthermore, the pressure will remain on Iran and Russia and China. For example, Kerry says Suleimani went to Moscow in violation of a UN travel ban.
Russia denies it. These are the people we are going to trust to help us enforce the inspections regime? They won't even tell the truth about lesser violations!
It's better to deal with it than 10 years from now when they have had more than a trillion dollars of additional income. It's as easy as that.
Fae
Senator Schumer (and others) have noted voting down this deal means going back to negotiations with Iran
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Yes. And the German foreign ministry and others have said that the chance of new negotiations occurring if Congress scuttles the deal are zero.
So, what kind of option is that?
I'm willing to take that risk. If Germany wants Iran to go nuclear, that's their right. I don't think we have to go the "Full Munich" with them.
We're just not going to agree. You think it's swell. I think Iran is already cheating--and that they crushed Obama/Kerry in the negotiations. I think Iran, like North Korea, will evade the inspectors, develop a nuke, and we will see a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
Well done, Mr. Obama!