Let's cut to the chase on the Iran Deal. It could end in Impeachment.
If it comes to Impeachment, that would be a good thing. Why? Because it would give the country the benefit of a knock-down, drag-out brawl over the question of who runs foreign policy in the United States of America … the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, or the President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Stripped to the core, niceties aside, that's exactly what the fight over the Iran Deal is all about. It's a fight worth having. Indeed, it's long overdue.
Here's how all this could go down:
The US and its five negotiating partners (UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany) make a deal with Iran, on its nuclear program, that's acceptable to all parties. That's the easy part.
The deal will then be presented to Congress in late June or early July. Congress has roughly 50 days to deliberate and, if it chooses, reject the deal by a 2/3 vote in both Houses of Congress. Procedurally, it's a little more complicated, but that's the essence.
Between now and the release of language constituting the final agreement, we can expect a steady stream of information and misinformation tending to indicate that Iran is evil incarnate while Israel is pure as the driven snow. Take it all with a grain of salt.
Remember, Iran has had soldiers on the ground assisting us in two of our last four wars. After 9-11, they were on the ground in Afghanistan, working for us and coordinating with us before our troops moved into the country. Now, they are on the ground fighting ISIL and coordinating their efforts with us.
Israel, for its part, has never contributed troops to any American war effort. Prime Minister Netanyahu likes to say, “We are you, and you are us.” When it comes to putting troops at risk with us, Israel is not us. Israel is absent.
When a deal has been completed and the time comes for Congress to deliberate upon it, be prepared for a blizzard of “Hate Iran … Hate Islam” invective to hit the fan. FOX will be in its glory. It won't be pretty.
Let's assume a worst-case scenario. The deal goes down in Congress. What then? Is that the end of it?
It shouldn't be. It should be a wake-up call to President Obama that it's time for him to get a little kickass in his giddy-up.
Within 48 hours of the Congressional action, the President should make the following prime-time statement to the nation from the White House:
Good evening, my fellow Americans.
This morning, I spoke with Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran. I have accepted his invitation to address the Iranian Parliament next week, and to meet with Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader.
President Rouhani and I agreed that the time has come to take substantive steps to normalize the relations between our two countries. We agreed to intensify and more closely coordinate our efforts to defeat the scourge of ISIL in Iraq and Syria; to increase trade consistent with our efforts to defeat ISIL; and to take such further steps as are fitting and proper to harmonize our relations, with a focus on creating a more peaceful and stable Middle East.
In closing, I will note that I have followed the deliberations of Congress on the nuclear deal, and am fully aware of their Vote of Disapproval. I view the Congressional action as advisory in nature. It expresses the opinion of Congress on the Iran matter on the day the vote was taken.
My job, as President, is to make and execute the foreign policy of the United States today and every day until January 20, 2017.
That's what the Constitution requires of me, and that's what I will do.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.
Conclusion
About six weeks before the 2008 election, I ran into former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota in a Washington grocery store. He was a good friend of Obama from their time together in the Senate, and was involved in the Obama campaign.
At the time I met him, the Obama campaign was sputtering and he was slipping in the polls.
I said to Senator Daschle, “Somebody better tell Barack Obama that he's in a knife fight, and he's using a wiffle-ball bat.”
Daschle nodded in agreement, and said, “I'll pass it on.”
It's time for Barack Obama to put away the wiffle-ball bat and channel his inner Franklin Roosevelt. It's time for the President to take it to those who have been taking it to him.
There's a good part of this country that has had a belly-full with Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu. Join the fight, and the people will be with you.
You can't win it if you're not in it.
I will post again on Thursday, July 9, 2015 (or before, if the news flow dictates) and, for the time being, I will try to post on the first Wednesday of each month.
Comments are welcome at tomc[at]wednesdayswars[dot]com. Comments will be addressed in subsequent posts.