The Iran Deal : Fighting Back against Evil

"Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph." (Haile Selassie) ~~~~~ On Wednesday, President Obama secured the 34th Senate vote needed to sustain a veto of any congressional resolution disapproving a nuclear deal with Iran, ensuring the accord will not fail in the US Congress. Secretary of State John Kerry gave a speech strongly defending the deal in Philadelphia on Wednesday, arguing that its benefits outweigh any drawbacks, and repeating again that the deal is not based on trust but on verification. Democratic Senator Barbara Mikulski announced her support, becoming the vital 32nd Senate Democrat, along with two independents, to back the pact announced on July 14, which exchanges sanctions relief for Iran for Teheran's agreeing to curtail its nuclear program. The move, if it holds up, means that Obama's Democrat minority in Congress will have enough votes to protect the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 world powers. The next goal for Obama and the Democratic Party is to put together at least 41 votes in the Senate so that they can use the filibuster procedural rule to block the first-round disapproval resolution in the Senate and keep Obama from having to use his veto. In providing the last critical vote for the Iran deal, Mikulski said in a written statement : "No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime. I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. For these reasons, I will vote in favor of this deal." US lawmakers, who will take up the resolution when they return from their summer vacations on September 8, have until September 17 to vote on a "resolution of disapproval," which would weaken the international pact by eliminating Obama's ability to temporarily waive many US sanctions on Iran. ~~~~~ With Republicans united in opposition to the deal, Senate whips of both parties agree it is still too early to say whether supporters would be able to secure the next target of 41 votes needed for Obama to win the initial round and save a veto. Republicans hold majorities in both the House and Senate, and are likely to pass a Republican-sponsored disapproval resolution. Opponents would need 2/3 majorities in both chambers -- 34 votes in the Senate and 146 in the House -- to override the Obama presidential veto. Mikulski's support leaves 10 undecided Senate Democrats. Two -- Charles Schumer and Robert Menendez -- have announced that they will oppose the deal. And, at least 93 members of the House, all Democrats, have said they support the bill. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic Leader, says she expects to have enough support to sustain a veto. ~~~~~ The Iran deal is also being felt in the 2016 US presidential election. The main GOP candidates oppose the deal, although they disagree on tactics for stopping it. While strong GOP majorities in both the Senate and House have already announced that they will oppose the accord, it is possible that one, and possibly two, House Republicans might vote for it. Congressional Republicans appeared unperturbed by the Wednesday White House announcenent, asserting that they still intend to fight the deal. Cory Fritz, a spokesman for the House, said : "Forcing a bad deal, over the objections of the American people and a majority in Congress, is no win for President Obama. The White House may have convinced just enough Democrats to back an agreement that legitimizes Iran’s nuclear program, trusts the regime to self- linspect and offers amnesty to terrorists, but this deal is far from being implemented." Senate Republicans have said they wil pursue additional measures to crack down on Iran even if the deal survives congressional review, including imposing additional sanctions over human rights violations or providing financial support to terrorists. Opponents of the Iran nuclear agreement say that it gives Iran too much sanction relief in exchange for an insufficient program for inspecting Iran's nuclear facilities. They worry that Iran will use an estimated $150 billion sanction "windfall" to finance militant groups that might threaten US allies, including Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a vociferous opponent of the nuclear agreement, and some pro-Israel groups have spent millions of dollars on advertising campaigns urging US lawmakers to oppose it. ~~~~~ Dear readers, there are some things that are simply evil -- with no mitigating factors to excuse them. The true nature of the Iranian regime and the history of its treachery, lies and terrorist activities is publicly available for anyone who chooses to see it. President Obama and Secretary Kerry should be impeached for their willful disregard for the security of the United States and their violation of their sworn duty to protect it. Those congressional Democrats who actually vote to support President Obama must be defeated in 2016 or impeached if their terms extend beyond that election cycle. The congressional Republican leadership must create a plan to prevent implementation of the Iran deal that includes refusal of funding, passing new sanctions, and withholding White House and State Department budget decisions until.all implementation actions are halted. United Nations funding related to the Iran deal's implementation should be withheld. The House should now begin preparing Articles of Impeachment against Obama and Kerry. And a Republican filibuster in the Senate should be considered if keeping a vote from being taken in the 60-day period would make it possible for the Senate to treat the deal independently afterward as an international treaty subject to Senate accord. Congress might also consider reducing funding to any of the P5+1 countries or Security Council members in an amount equivalent to their funding for actions related to the Iranian deal. These proposals may seem severe, but they could be tied to Iran's future full compliance with acts to be outlined by Congress -- release of all foreign prisoners and hostages, total immediate access to all civilian and military nuclear facilities, a complete halt to all foreign terrorist activities and military and financial support for Iranian Middle East terrorist proxy organizations, and an unequivocal recognition of the state of Israel and its right to exist. President Obama and Secretary Kerry should have demanded these Iranian actions in the negotiating process. They chose not to, in defiance of American insistence. Congress should do it for them. Margaret Thatcher explained the battle : "I am in politics because of the conflict between good and evil and I believe that in the end good will triumph." Good will triumph, but only if we work for it, only if we recognize the fundamental truth with Edmund Burke : "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."