Aaron David Miller, a Middle East expert at the Woodrow Wilson worldwide Center for Scholars who has served in Republican and Democratic administrations, said that Obama’s speech seemed intended to leave no doubt “that those who oppose it are either uninformed or, in the case of the Iraq war comparison, recklessly marching to the next war in the Middle East”. Skeptics of the deal fear it will legitimize Iran as a nuclear threshold state, allowing them to retain an ever-growing uranium enrichment program.
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Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, said the tone was counterproductive. Assuming every Senate Republican other than potential agreement supporter Jeff Flake votes against the deal, opponents will still need to recruit 13 Senate Democrats to their position.
Bunn says Kennedy’s 1963 speech – at the height of the Cold War – had a dramatic impact.
“Let’s hope @POTUS avoids obviously untrue talking points about the #IranDeal being a choice between a bad deal and war”.
“The president was pointing out a simple fact”, he told reporters Thursday.
“Just because Iranian hardliners chant “death to America” does not mean that’s what all Iranians believe”, Obama said.
“There’s no such thing as a ‘better deal, ‘” the President added.
Having sent the deal to the Congress for approval, Obama described it as the most consequential foreign-policy debate that the United States has had since the invasion of Iraq. Schumer has long been more hawkish on foreign policy than some of his fellow Democrats.
In a direct appeal to US lawmakers he called for an end to the mindset of military action over diplomacy… He said many of those who oppose the Iran pact are the same as those who pushed for the war, which is now known to have been based on flawed intelligence.
“My view of this issue is rather than this kind of – kind of crass political rhetoric, we ought to treat this issue with the dignity that it deserves”, McConnell said.
Still, Schumer said he had concluded that the country is better off without the deal.
Congress has two months to consider whether to reject the deal reached July 14 between Iran and six major powers to roll back sanctions in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear program.
President Barack Obama went to American University to push his arms deal with Iran. They also face adamant opposition by the Israeli government. Lawmakers have until September 17 to decide whether to reject the deal.
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Schumer’s announcement comes one month before lawmakers hold a critical vote on a resolution of disapproval of the nuclear accord, which would revoke the president’s ability to waive some sanctions against Iran and likely kill the deal.
