An ‘Affront To The American People’: Obama’s Goes To UN First On Iran Deal | Ayatollah: "Policy On 'Arrogant' US Won't Change"
Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco |
With approval of he Obama administration, Cuba reopened it's embassy today and the Cuban flag flies again in Washington, D.C. The American Embassy also opened in Cuba.
Amid reports that the Castro regime continues to beat and imprison pro-democracy activists, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said today, "As the Cuban flag rises just up the street from the White House, the Cuban dictatorship continues to attack, arrest, and abuse pro-democracy activists. It is appalling to see America’s president welcoming – and rewarding – a regime that shows no regard for our most fundamental values. Instead of mingling with the Castros’ representatives today, our government should be standing with Cuba’s freedom fighters. These brave men and women, and their families, are certainly in my prayers."
The House will meet pro-form at 2 PM today for a couple minutes. The House will reconvene on Tuesday, July 21, at 12:00 PM.
The Senate is not in session today and will reconvene tomorrow (Tuesday July 21) at 10 AM. Tomorrow afternoon, the Senate will vote on cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 22, the vehicle for the highways bill.
Rather than waiting for approval or disapproval of Congress on the Iran Nuclear deal, The Obama administration allowed – and joined – the United Nations Security Council in approving the president’s proposed nuclear deal with Iran before Congress completes its mandated review. President Obama and Sec. of State John Kerry have made it clear that they care little about the Constitutional requirement for the Representatives of the People - Congress to voice their approval or disapproval of "the deal."
House Speaker John Boehner responded to this action this morning: "Today President Obama ignored the concerns of the American people, and senior members of his own party, and allowed the United Nations Security Council to take up his proposed nuclear deal with Iran. Enabling such a consequential vote just 24 hours after submitting the agreement documents to Congress undermines our national security and violates the spirit of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which passed the House in May with more than 400 votes. This is a bad start for a bad deal. The American people expect their representatives to review this potential agreement and stop Iran’s push for a nuclear weapon, and we will continue our critical work to do just that."
Following are news / organization reports on this action by the Obama administration:
Americans for Limited Government today responded and urged the U.S. Senate to take up the Iran nuclear deal as a treaty and defeat it
"President Obama has failed to abide by the terms of the Corker Iran bill in delivering the Iran nuclear accord. The legislation was limited to lifting certain sanctions related to Iran's nuclear agreements, not lifting sanctions on missiles and other weapons activities as the deal does. In the meantime, all Obama believes he has all he needs with the vote at the United Nations Security Council to authorize the deal.
"Our nation's foreign policy cannot be run out of the United Nations. Without a positive vote in Congress for his deal, Obama shows his outright contempt for Congress and the Constitution. The Senate should bring the Iran deal up under the Treaty Clause of the Constitution and reject it. It is time to restore constitutional government, and stop giving Iran a legal basis to continue enriching uranium for weapons."
Politico writes today, “Influential Republicans called it an ‘affront’ to Americans that President Barack Obama took his nuclear accord with Iran to the United Nations before a congressional vote, with Sen. Marco Rubio dubbing July 20 as ‘Obama’s Capitulation Monday.’
“On Monday morning, the U.N. Security Council unanimously backed the pact to scale back Iran’s nuclear ambitions and begin loosening some sanctions, the same day that the 60-day congressional review clock began ticking on Capitol Hill. Though Congress has the ability to block lifting congressional sanctions on Iran that are a key portion of the deal, members of both parties are frustrated that the vote for international economic relief for Iran comes two months before a pivotal congressional vote.
“Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called the move to present the pact to the council ‘further evidence of a weak president trying to sell a bad deal’ while Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) charged that the decision is an ‘affront to the American people.’ The Senate’s No. 2 Republican threatened that lawmakers will vote down any deal that ‘jeopardizes American security and paves the way for a nuclear-armed Iran.’ ‘The administration is more concerned about jamming this deal through than allowing the scrutiny it deserves,’ Cornyn said.”
“But,” Politico notes, “moving the agreement through the United Nations before a congressional review has piqued concerns not just of hawkish Republican critics but critical swing Democrats as well, including top Foreign Relations Committee Democrat Ben Cardin of Maryland and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer.
“‘We had urged the administration not to take any definitive action in the 60 days,’ said Cardin in an interview last week, referring to a letter from he and Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to the president urging him away from going to the U.N. before Congress. A delay, Cardin said, would have been ‘trying to keep this in the spirit of the review.’”
On Friday, Rep. Hoyer put out a statement saying, “I agree with Senators Cardin and Corker that the U.N. Security Council should wait to move ahead with a resolution implementing parts of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action until after Congress has completed its review of the agreement with Iran. I believe that waiting to go to the United Nations until such time as Congress has acted would be consistent with the intent and substance of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.”
Of course the Obama administration didn’t bother to wait for Congress to even hold a hearing on the agreement and put it to a vote in front of the U.N. Security Council today.
Actions like this are unlikely to soothe many Democrats’ concerns as a key number hesitate to endorse this deal. As The Hill points out, “Democratic lawmakers are holding back their support for President Obama’s controversial nuclear deal with Iran, knowing the political dynamic surrounding it could change dramatically in the coming months. Political firestorms tend to erupt during the long, hot days of August, when lawmakers meet face-to-face with constituents in town-hall meetings that can quickly grow contentious. . . .
“Twenty-eight Senate Democrats have not made clear their decisions, according to a whip list complied by The Hill. . .
“A senior Democratic aide said memories of recent August recesses turned bad still sting. ‘There was ObamaCare in 2009 and the border surge in 2014,’ the aide said.
“Democrats were stunned by the intensity of anger and opposition in response to healthcare negotiations leading up to the passage of the Affordable Care Act when they returned to their home states in August of 2009.
“The issue of border security exploded into a political crisis last August when a surge of unaccompanied minors from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador dominated the news for weeks.
“‘I have two fears right now: the sixty-day window, which gives opponents plenty of time to crank up their opposition, and the issue of the lifting of the Iran arms embargo,’ said Jim Manley, a strategist and former senior aide to Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
“‘As someone who had a front-row seat in 2009 when I saw how quickly the Tea Party activists managed to turn debate on ObamaCare on its head, I’m very concerned about something similar happening this time around,’ he added.”
Meanwhile, there are few signs out of Tehran that the Iranian regime is inclined to change its behavior in the wake of this agreement that the Obama administration is touting.
According to AFP, “Iran's avowed opposition to an ‘arrogant’ United States government will not change despite a landmark nuclear deal with world powers, its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday.
“In a speech in which he stressed Iran was sharply at odds with US policy across the Middle East, Khamenei highlighted huge differences over the conflicts in Syria, Yemen and other regional states.
“The remarks were greeted by customary chants of ‘Death to America’, a feature of public ceremonies since the Islamic revolution of 1979 which toppled the US-backed shah.
“‘Our policies toward the arrogant US government will not change,’ Khamenei said at a prayer gathering in Tehran marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.”
The Wall Street Journal adds, “Mr. Khamenei said the country wouldn’t surrender to excessive demands, and vowed not to change Iran’s policy of supporting regional allies that the U.S. and Israel oppose.
“Iran provides vital support for the Syrian regime, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Iraq, among other groups. . . . While Mr. Khamenei was equivocal about the deal’s ultimate success, he also hailed it as a win for Iran in a decadelong struggle to preserve its nuclear achievements, including thousands of centrifuges that enrich uranium. . . . ‘After 10 to 12 years of struggle with the Islamic republic, they have no other way today but to tolerate the spinning of a few thousand centrifuges in the country, the continuation of this industry and research and development,’ Mr. Khamenei said.”
Tags: Iran, Nuclear Deal, President Obama, Goes to UN, Not waiting on Congress, affront to American People, Cuba To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!
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