NYT Editorial: Republican Idiocy on Iran (and my comment to same)

[markpkessinger]

Here is the text of a comment I posted to this NY Times editorial (an excerpt of and link to the editorial follows my comment):

Mark Kessinger

These 47 Senators, in their twisted political calculus, thought they had come up with their masterstroke: in one fell swoop, so they apparently thought, they could discredit eh President at home, undermine his conduct of foreign relations and thereby casting themselves as the "competent ones" when it came to questions of national security, secure their 2016 presidential prospects, and satisfy their deep-pocketed, defense contracting industry donors by destroying the possibility of working out a peaceful solution with Iran and ensuring that their long-desired war with Iran will come to fruition.

What they have succeeded in doing, however, is to demonstrate to friend and foe alike around the world that the U.S., irrespective of who is President or what party he/she is a member of, is too politically unstable -- indeed, too radical -- to be trusted to negotiate any matter of international concern. Republicans telegraphed a thinly-veiled declaration of their intent not to honor any deal whatsoever, regardless of its terms and despite of any good faith effort by Iran to meet its obligations. They have told the world not only that war is an option, but that it is an inevitable outcome. That casts the U.S. as a far greater threat to stability throughout the world than Iran has ever presented. We are already perceived by much of the world as a rogue, bully state, drunk on its own military power. Now we will be seen as wantonly reckless besides.

And here is an excerpt of the editorial itself:

[font size=5]Republican Idiocy on Iran[/font]

After helping to ignite a firestorm over a possible nuclear agreement with Iran, Senator John McCain, a former Republican presidential candidate, is now sort of acknowledging his error. “Maybe that wasn’t exactly the best way to do that,” he said on Fox News on Tuesday.

He was referring to the disgraceful and irresponsible letter that he and 46 Senate colleagues sent to Iran’s leaders this week that generated outrage from Democrats and even some conservatives.

The letter was an attempt to scare the Iranians from making a deal that would limit their nuclear program for at least a decade by issuing a warning that the next president could simply reverse any agreement. It was a blatant, dangerous effort to undercut the president on a grave national security issue by communicating directly with a foreign government.

Maybe Mr. McCain, who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, should have thought about the consequences before he signed the letter, which was drafted by Tom Cotton, a Republican of Arkansas, a junior senator with no foreign policy credentials. Instead of trying to be leaders and statesmen, the Republicans in Congress seem to think their role is outside the American government, divorced from constitutional principles, tradition and the security interests of the American people.

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[busterbrown]

1. Yes Sir!! N/t

T

[kentuck]

2. "...Congress seem to think their role is outside the American government..."

They are nothing more than a political, anarchic cult...