as Obama’s pay-outs and policy allowed the ayatollahs to fund and foment Middle East discord all while allowing them to enrich uranium under ridiculous inspection protocols . . .- Or capitulation by the US and its allies as the ayatollahs achieved regional hegemony with Persian /Shiite bomb capability
- Then there is Pat Buchanan who embarrasses himself at every opportunity with knee jerk vilification of Israel weakening any claim to be a western cultural warrior
- . . . and don’t forget John Kerry, who forgets he is not SOS anymore
Informative articles about Trump’s decision
Trump Was Right To Blow Up The Iran Deal from David Harsanyi at The Federalist
The president walked away from a promise made by the Obama administration, not the American people
Transcript of Trump’s Speech on the Iran Nuclear Deal NY Times (excerpt) (bold our emphasis)
The fact is, this was a horrible, one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made. It didn’t bring calm, it didn’t bring peace, and it never will.
In the years since the deal was reached, Iran’s military budget has grown by almost 40 percent — while its economy is doing very badly. After the sanctions were lifted, the dictatorship used its new funds to build its nuclear-capable missiles, support terrorism, and cause havoc throughout the Middle East and beyond.
The agreement was so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time. The deal’s sunset provisions are totally unacceptable.
If I allowed this deal to stand, there would soon be a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. Everyone would want their weapons ready by the time Iran had theirs. Making matters worse, the deal’s inspection provisions lack adequate mechanisms to prevent, detect, and punish cheating and don’t even have the unqualified right to inspect many important locations, including military facilities.
Not only does the deal fail to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but it also fails to address the regime’s development of ballistic missiles that could deliver nuclear warheads.Finally, the deal does nothing to constrain Iran’s destabilizing activities, including its support for terrorism. Since the agreement, Iran’s bloody ambitions have grown only more brazen.
In light of these glaring flaws, I announced last October that the Iran deal must either be renegotiated or terminated.
Good Riddance To The Flawed Iran Deal Austin bay at Townhall
Sasse Statement on Iran Deal Senator Ben Sasse, excerpt
“The Iran deal has always been terrible. Today is a reminder that if you live by the Presidency, you die by the Presidency. We ought to be clear about this: Donald Trump isn’t ripping up a treaty; he’s walking away from Barack Obama’s personal pledge. Two and a half years ago, President Obama made a bad deal with Iran without support from Congress, and today President Trump is pulling out of President Obama’s personal commitment, and he doesn’t need Congress’s support to do so. American foreign policy makes lasting progress when it is led by the President, approved by Congress, and presented honestly to the American people.”
Flashback: Even Democrats Thought Obama’s Iran Deal Was Total Garbage Matt Vespe at Townhall
The Left with froth at the mouth, especially team Obama, who did nothing when Russia annexed Crimea, nothing when Yemen caught fire, nothing when chemical weapons were used in Syria, and did nothing for forcefully combat the rise of ISIS. This is the brain trust that said ISIS was the “JV team” of international terrorism. Well, now they are; Trump beat them. But it took his exit for our forces to effectively defeat the terror group on the ground. Yet, back to this deal, it’s not like this should be shocking. Trump campaigned on it. Also, are we truly floored that a state-sponsor of terrorism pretty much lied about their nuclear ambitions? Please, even members of Obama’s own party were against this agreement.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY):
. . . To me, the very real risk that Iran will not moderate and will, instead, use the agreement to pursue its nefarious goals is too great.
Therefore, I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy. It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power. Better to keep U.S. sanctions in place, strengthen them, enforce secondary sanctions on other nations, and pursue the hard-trodden path of diplomacy once more, difficult as it may be.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) (via the Hill):
“The deal ultimately legitimizes Iran as a threshold nuclear state,” Menendez, who stepped down as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year amid corruption charges, said on MSNBC’s “The Rundown.” “The deal doesn’t end Iran’s nuclear program, it preserves it.”
The New Jersey senator, a long-time critic of the negotiations, refuted President Obama’s claim that the deal allows for 24/7 access to inspect any site believed to be violating the deal.
. . .
Now-former Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) all opposed the deal as well. Yet, not enough were able to cross the aisle with Republicans to override a veto threat by Obama over the resolution to reject the agreement.
And then there is the likes of Pat Buchanan and John Kerry (who served in Vietnam don’t you know)
Kerry blasts Trumps decision . . .
“Today’s announcement weakens our security, breaks America’s word, isolates us from our European allies, puts Israel at greater risk, empowers Iran’s hardliners, and reduces our global leverage to address Tehran’s misbehavior while damaging the ability of future administrations to make international agreements,” Kerry claimed in a statement he posted to Twitter shortly after Trump’s announcement.
“Instead of building unprecedented nonproliferation verification measures, this decision risks throwing them away and dragging the world to the brink we faced a few years ago,” he added.
That is if as Obama’s actions did: allowing the ayatollahs to fund and foment Middle East discord all while allowing them to enrich uranium under ridiculous inspection protocols somehow weakens us, and . . . Israel is that stupid, and . . . our other allies are that stupid (many are and greedy for trade with Iran), and . . . how does reinstating sanctions not increase leverage? As regards : “damaging the ability of future administrations to make international agreements” . . . such nonsense can only come from someone opposed to the US Constitution and the right of the people to govern international affairs through the advice and consent of the Senate.
Besides, keeping one’s campaign promise is not something Kerry would understand but Buchanan ought to.
R Mall
