Meanwhile, the state’s Republican Sen. He wrote this for Indiana newspapers.
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“While Congress has received assurances from the administration that it does not forfeit its ability to impose sanctions on Iran for behavior on the non-nuclear side, these assurances do not square with the text of the [Iran agreement]”, Flake said. The more I read, the more my concern grows.
The board expressed gratitude for the Obama administration’s focus on the Iranian nuclear threat, but went on to say that the Iran deal should be strengthened, war is not the only alternative to the deal (Obama has claimed it is) and Israel is being singled out. That in and of itself is concerning.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised that the Senate would debate the Iran deal next month.
I want to underscore: If Iran fails in a material way to live up to these commitments, then the United States, the European Union, and even the U.N. sanctions that initially brought Iran to the table can and will snap right back into place.
The United States used the “Trust, but verify” method on arms deals with the Soviet Union – the untrustworthy “evil empire”, which covered one-sixth of the land surface of the earth – for decades, with absolute success.
They marked his clearest comments yet on how he would tackle the Iran deal as president, which he and other Republicans have denounced as, they say, catastrophic to U.S. security.
The White House continues to persuade other Republicans to back the deal. Another bureaucratic process kicks in to review possible sanctions, but since all violations will be treated equally, only the most severe violations will be subject to consequences. This is a sharp departure from similar agreements in the past, which typically have allowed between nine and 24 hours’ advance notice. He notes inspections are not “anywhere, anytime”.
The punishment for cheating is not credible. No sanctions relief? In return, sanctions against the country would be relieved. It must reduce its number of centrifuges for the next 10 years as well as lower its stockpile of uranium by 98 percent while keeping its enrichment level “significantly below” what the White House says is needed to develop a nuclear weapon. This is a full capitulation, contrary to many recent statements – including by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff – that such a position was unacceptable. “That’s inexperience. That’s just playing to a crowd”, Ohio’s little known governor said in response to questions about whether he’d tear up the deal upon assuming office.
Even as it took the potentially divisive stand against the Iran deal, the board repeatedly called for “communal unity”, saying: “Before and after Congress votes, every Jew is a precious, welcomed, valued member of this cherished community”.
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The only glimmer of optimism in Schumer’s egregious insult to his party, his country and his president is that his NO vote will likely not prevent the agreement from becoming effective and defusing our endless and insane policy of confrontation and war in the Middle East.
