Tag: Iran Nuclear Deal

Loose Lips Sink Ships (of State)

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The dotard’s discourse has deadly consequences at home and abroad. pResident Biden has already caused thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of violent deaths in Ukraine, for starters. And the butcher’s bill will likely tally much higher over the next two years, and more if the self-serving RepubliCAN’T cohort, led by Mendacious McConnell and Misleading McCarthy, get their way. McConnell and McCarthy are salivating, to put it politely, over the pain abroad and at home. They are already measuring their imagined new offices for drapes and carpet, while rolling in donors’ dough. If we allow them to win, if we do not use the primary process to crush them, we will pay — from the pump, to the grocery store, to our liberty and our future prospects in the world.

No president in the entire history of confrontation between the nuclear superpowers, the Russian empire and the American republic, has ever spoken deliberately on microphone, let alone on camera, as has pResident Biden. Here are his words, from the official White House transcripts.

State of the Union 2022:

Biden, Jew-hating Left, Enable Putin and Iranian Theocracy

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red green jump pointIran is not the problem, nor is Russia, per se, rather, the ruling elites in each country hold aggressive, expansionist views. AND. pResident Biden and the Jew-hating left have common cause with these two petro-dollar fueled powers. That is, sadly, nothing new. What is new is the open linkage of Russian and Iranian regimes in a triangle with the secular left in the Swamp. These two malign actors are allies of convenience, forming a new and much more formidable “axis of evil” with the imperial Chinese leadership. So it is that the Russian regime uses the computer skills of Iranians to attack the West, perhaps in place of former Warsaw Pact hackers whose governments are no longer cozy with Moscow. The Swamp, including the congressional Republican’ts led by Mendacious McConnell and Misleading McCarthy, will do nothing real about this, as they need Russia to deliver a new and even more dangerous nuclear deal with Iran.

The Swamp and the New Axis of Evil

I have posted a series of articles pointing to the red-green alliance of convenience between the secular left and Islamists, each headed by this base graphic, modified with the particular focus of the article. It illustrates a political leap forward powered by the red and green forces together. I have also pointed to the collusion between McConnell, McCarthy, their congressional enablers, and the Democrats against us. We also all know that the Republican establishment sold out Americans for the benefit of economic elites through trade deals with China, deals disrupted by our champion, President Trump. If we tolerate, if we enable, Republican congressional candidates winning in 2022 primaries without pledging to actually deliver on campaign policy promises by first changing leadership personnel, we will get more planned failure and more damage to our land and our lives.

Colin Powell, for Good and Ill

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Colin Powell, who died Oct. 18, 2021, was a good and honorable man in his personal life and the consummate bureaucratic warrior. While elevated to the highest appointed offices by Republican presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush, Powell turned hard to the left, actively supporting the fundamental transformation of the constitutional republic he had sworn repeatedly to support and defend. Gen. Powell affected military-civilian relations in the early years after the end of the Cold War, helping shape the presidencies of both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. As President George W. Bush’s secretary of state, Powell first promoted the invasion of Iraq, then renounced the decision after leaving government. As secretary of state, Powell also helped the Democrats sabotage the Bush presidency and the early years of the global war on terror with the crooked special prosecution led by Patrick J. Fitzgerald. Powell twice endorsed and voted for Barack Obama, endorsed and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, and supported and voted for Joe Biden in 2020, a fair indicator of his true long-term political beliefs.

A Good and Honorable Man in Military and Marriage

ELI5: Why is John Kerry Respected?

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The Reddit site has a group called Explain Like I’m Five (ELI5). The purpose, from their sidebar, is E is for Explain – merely answering a question is not enough; LI5 means friendly, simplified and layman-accessible explanations – not responses aimed at literal five-year-olds. So I have the question in the subject line that I’d like Ricochet members to attempt to answer for me.

When John Kerry appeared in the news a few weeks ago for working with the Iranians, it reminded me of his work with the North Vietnamese. I began wondering why is he allowed in polite company, let alone made a senator, presidential candidate, Secretary of State, and even being talked about as a possible presidential candidate in 2020? @concretevol‘s comment on Operation Gothic Serpent where he says “the dems would now probably run Aspin for president.” brought it to the forefront of my mind and so this post.

A Message for the Tyrants of Tehran

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Watching Bibi Netanyahu addressing the UN’s General Assembly always makes me want to cheer. Two years ago, Israel alone opposed the horrible Iranian nuclear deal that the US negotiated and declared Israel would defend itself and that the world was making a terrible mistake. As Iran continues to develop its nuclear program and the IAEA appears emasculated, Bibi was back on Thursday to tell them:

I also have a message today for the tyrants of Tehran. Israel knows what you’re doing, and Israel knows where you’re doing it. Israel will never let a regime that calls for our destruction to develop nuclear weapons. Not now, not in ten years, not ever. And Israel will do whatever it must do to to defend itself against Iran’s aggression. We will continue to act against you in Syria. We will act against you in Lebanon. We will act against you in Iraq. We will act against you whenever and wherever we must act, to defend our state and to defend our people.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are in very good spirits as they savor three wonderful martinis for conservatives.  First, they celebrate the news that three American hostages are on their way home from North Korea in advance of the upcoming Trump-Kim summit.  They also applaud President Trump for withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, which was riddled with inspection loopholes and was never properly submitted to Congress.  And they cheer the victory of conservative Patrick Morrisey in the West Virginia U.S. Senate primary, the lopsided defeat for “Cocaine Mitch” accuser Don Blankenship, and strong turnout for Republicans in three primary states.

Jim Geraghty of National Review with Chad Benson filling in for Greg Corombos of Radio America. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims to be in possession of tens of thousands of documents that reveal that Iran has been lying about its nuclear weapons program. Marco Rubio expresses skepticism toward the basic tenets of supply side economic theory, suggesting that the recent tax cuts will not help the middle class as promised. Lastly, Twitter is upset about a Chinese dress as claims of cultural appropriation strike prom.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome President Trump’s refusal to certify that Iran is honoring its part of the 2015 nuclear deal but wonder whether the deal will eventually be scrapped or be allowed to stick around.  They also approach the delicate issue of aging Republicans missing considerable time in the U.S. Senate and when the right time is to decide another term is not a good idea.  And they shake their heads as Chuck Todd of MSNBC rightly castigates the rise of activism cloaked as journalism but cannot see or admit that’s what his employer does on a daily basis.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker deciding not to seek re-election by remembering his most significant moment in office was failing to stand up for the Senate’s power to consider treaties and instead greased the skids for President Obama to enact the Iran nuclear deal without any effective protest from the Republican majority.  They also slam Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price for using private planes on at least two dozen occasions to the tune of $400,000 in taxpayer money.  And they weigh in on the results of the Republican U.S. Senate run-off in Alabama and President Trump subsequently deleting tweets in support of Luther Strange after it was clear Roy Moore had won.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America endure three bad martinis today as two more GOP Senators bail on the plan to overhaul Obamacare and a new effort to vote on a clean repeal is already in grave danger of failing.  They criticize President Trump for keeping Obama’s infamous Iran Nuclear Deal without giving his advisers enough time to develop a new policy.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions is another source of disappointment today as he declares his intention to increase the use of civil asset forfeiture, which allows the federal government to seize the property of suspected criminals — without charging them with a crime.

Who Should We Send to Sing to Our Rebels in Syria?

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Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 08.06.44Well, goodness. Think anyone’s going to notice that? I hope not. It might make future allies a little uneasy about allying with us.

Russia has targeted Syrian rebel groups backed by the Central Intelligence Agency in a string of airstrikes running for days, leading the U.S. to conclude that it is an intentional effort by Moscow, American officials said.

The assessment, which is shared by commanders on the ground, has deepened U.S. anger at Moscow and sparked a debate within the administration over how the U.S. can come to the aid of its proxy forces without getting sucked deeper into a proxy war that President Barack Obama says he doesn’t want. The White House has so far been noncommittal about coming to the aid of CIA-backed rebels, wary of taking steps that could trigger a broader conflict.

The Strategika Podcast: Angelo Codevilla on the Futility of Arms Control Agreements

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In the first of three new Strategika podcasts tackling the subject of arms control (and, specifically, the nuclear deal with Iran), Angelo Codevilla, Professor Emeritus of International Relations at Boston University, goes one step further than many critics of the agreement with Tehran. He doesn’t just argue that this deal is unworkable. He argues that the entire framework of arms control that the West has embraced for the last century is unworkable. It’s a fascinating discussion and you can listen in by subscribing to Strategika through iTunes or by listening in below.

The Iran Nuclear Deal: A Dangerous Game of Chance

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iran-nuclear-dealUpon first hearing of the Iran Nuclear Deal I, like so many others, felt that Western leaders had made a grave error in judgment. A careful review of the text of the deal has removed all doubt. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the vast majority of people who hold this view do not do so out of a desire for war. We simply understand that the Iran Nuclear Deal makes war more, not less, likely.

As details of the deal became clear, many were left scratching their heads in wonder. The E3/EU+3 (US, UK, China, France, Germany, Russia and UN) effectively abandoned every objection to the Iranian nuclear program based solely on Iran’s promise to operate henceforth in accordance with the standards established by the International Atomic Energy Agency. All sanctions will be reversed and the signatory nations have agreed to aide Iran in further developing her nuclear industry. More importantly, they will assist Iran in the development of a uranium enrichment program. For those not familiar with nuclear energy, enriched uranium of the kind sought by Iran  has one purpose: weapons. Moreover, international observers will not be allowed to inspect some of Iran’s nuclear facilities. So how, you ask, are they planning to ensure that Iran is in compliance with the already lenient terms of the agreement? Well, Iranian officials will inspect their sites and report their findings to the IAEA. All of this is predicated on a mere promise of good-faith and fair dealing by the Iranian government.

It is only reasonable then that so many have been left in a state of bewilderment about the benefits of the agreement for world peace. What exactly do the leaders of the US, EU, and UN expect to gain from an agreement so fraught with potential dangers? Let us not forget that the Iranian regime has been quite candid in its hostile intentions toward Israel and the United States. How does arming such an acrimonious oligarchy advance the cause of world peace?

Calling Mona Charen

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SchumerFrom Politico:

Chuck Schumer is getting an earful from opponents of the Iran nuclear deal.

More than 10,000 phone calls have flooded his office line the past two weeks, organized by a group looking to kill the deal. Another group has dropped seven figures on TV in New York City to pressure Schumer and other lawmakers to vote against the plan. The powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee has put its muscle behind an effort to lobby the New Yorker against it.

Anything But Cecil: The Franco-American Iran-Nuclear Diplomatic Mystère

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Okay, gentle ladies, gentlemen, and wingèd seraphs of Ricochet, today is Anything But Cecil Day. Indeed, it’s Anything But Whatever’s on Drudge Day, because while that’s on the front page, a lot of other stories aren’t being covered. Here’s an item about which, perhaps, you’ve heard, but I figure Cecil might be crowding out everyone’s news feeds to the extent that it might not hurt to bring it up. And I have a bit to add to it.

As Josh Rogan reported for Bloomberg, a senior diplomatic adviser to President Francois Hollande seems to be in a bit of a disagreement with John Kerry about the Iran nuclear deal:

Is Iran Rational?

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Seyyed_Ali_KhameneiThough it is as old as the debate about the Iranian nuclear program itself, the question now seems more apt than ever. The usual phrasing is whether Iran is truly bent on destruction or on the verge of becoming a modern-day Soviet Union, i.e., a nuclear power that can be deterred by mutually assured destruction (leave aside whether you believe the current or potential future occupants of the White House would, in fact, respond in such a fashion). On the one hand are people who point out that, though the Soviets were power-hungry totalitarians, they wanted to live and knew that using nukes was a suicide pact. On the other, you have people who argue that Iran isn’t rational in that way, and would be happy for martyrdom — or, more likely, the martyrdom of their ordinary citizens — for the cause of Islam, the Caliphate, and the return of the Twelfth Imam.

I have gone back and forth between the two sides myself, but a thought occurred to me today: Iran wouldn’t be the first instance in the modern era of an “ideological regime” driven to irrational action by nutty ideas. Thankfully, the last such regime — the Third Reich — existed in the pre-nuclear age.

I know people hold their breath when Nazis are mentioned, but please hear me out. Hitler was an ideologue, committed to racist and anti-Semitic ideas. If you look at the military history of WWII, you see that, even as the war turned against the Germans, they continued — indeed escalated — their effort to exterminate European Jewry, diverting trains, personnel, and materials away from the war to do so. The murder of slave laborers also meant an ever-diminishing ability to produce munitions and other war necessities. This was totally irrational from a military or a survival standpoint (I can’t be certain, but I imagine no high-ranking Nazi official believed that he’d get out alive if the war ended in defeat; either he would be killed in the effort, or condemned to death for his actions). Even within the war itself, Hitler was often irrational, invading the USSR out of hatred for Bolshevism and then throwing more and more soldiers into the maw after the cause had turned hopelessly against him.

Understanding Obama’s Strategy

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I am attempting to understand Obama’s position on Iran.  What I write below is what I think Obama and his cohorts think they are doing. I am trying to write from their perspective, so it will be sympathetic.

Obama’s Grand Strategy:
The real problem in the world is Sunni extremism.  ISIS, al-Qaeda, and all their affiliates are Sunni. Iran is the natural enemy of Sunni extremism, and is thus the natural ally of the United States. Sure, the Iranians have killed many Americans, but that is because America threatened Iran’s interests in the region. Iran’s true ambitions have always been regional. If America shows a willingness to see Iran succeed regionally and to become a protector of Shia everywhere in the region, they will no longer see the need to be hostile to the United States. An opportunity exists to cultivate Iran as an ally and make Iran a proxy in the America’s war on Sunni terror networks.

Obama Not Offended Enough by Anti-Semitism

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obamarouhani_s640x427What to make of President Obama’s interpretation of the Iranian leadership? Challenged by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg to account for the seeming inconsistency of relying on the rationality of a regime that holds a profoundly anti-Semitic worldview, the president denied that the “venomous anti-Semitism” (his words) of the mullahs is a barrier to rational decision making.

Well the fact that you are anti-Semitic, or racist, doesn’t preclude you from being interested in survival. It doesn’t preclude you from being rational about the need to keep your economy afloat; it doesn’t preclude you from making strategic decisions about how you stay in power; and so the fact that the supreme leader is anti-Semitic doesn’t mean that this overrides all of his other considerations. You know, if you look at the history of anti-Semitism, Jeff, there were a whole lot of European leaders—and there were deep strains of anti-Semitism in this country . . .

Walter Russell Mead of The American Interest made an important observation:

Obama’s Iranian Vision Is Creating a Powder Keg

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shutterstock_165080393If recent news accounts are to be believed, the framework of agreement between the U.S. and Iran is on the rocks. Iran’s top officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, are saying economic sanctions must end immediately and that UN inspectors will not be granted unfettered access to military installations and nuclear construction sites.

But this may be nothing more than Iranian domestic political spin. And as long as there’s a potential deal, a critical point needs to be made: There is no provision for, or even discussion of, putting political restraints on Iran. That is, there is nothing in this deal that would force Iran to change its terrorist ways. Iran will continue to be the number-one state sponsor of terrorism in the Middle East, no matter what the deal.

How can this be?