Public Comment

Mercifully, Congress has pledged enough votes to support the nuclear deal with Iran. What is disturbing about this debate is the number of lawmakers who support Prime Minister Netanyahu against their own commander in chief. Perhaps the free junket to Israel seized by many lawmakers may have persuaded some members of Congress to ‘switch sides.’ What is most striking about the demagoguery is the ostrich in the sand mentality to ignore historical precedents.  

Negotiating with adversaries to create a more stable world has long been practiced by Republican presidents. Richard Nixon normalized relations with our nemesis, China. Ronald Reagan signed a landmark missile agreement with the Soviet Union. He even held secret negotiations with Iran, selling it arms in its war with Iraq, using the proceeds to arm Nicaragua’s contra rebels in defiance of Congress – an impeachable offence! President George Bush entered into an agreement with Iran establishing nuclear limits in 2006. The five major powers, the United Nations Security Council, most American nuclear experts and scores of leading American diplomats — have endorsed the pact as the best way to limit Iran’s nuclear bomb making capabilities. America projects strength when important national security decisions have bipartisan support. Sadly, none of this seems to matter to the accord’s opponents, who refuse to be deterred by the facts. Finally, shouldn’t the US negotiate with other nuclear powers, including Israel, to eliminate all these terrifying weapons?