Democrats Lining Up To Support Agreement With Iran . . .

Editorial Cartoon by AF "Tony" Branco
By setting off a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, the
Iran nuclear deal may be making war more likely, not less.

. . . As Iranian Leaders Continue To Attack Israel Call U.S. "Great Satan"
Today in Washington, D.C. - Sept. 9, 2015:
The House reconvened today at 10 AM today. As of this report, the House recessed at 12:32 PM with no action having been taken on the floor. The House is subject to the call of the Chair. Appears to be some internal conferencing going on.

Yesterday, the House passed a few administrative resolutions and the following bills:
H.R. 1344 (Voice Vote) — "To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize a program for early detection, diagnosis, and treatment regarding deaf and hard-of-hearing newborns, infants, and young children."
H.R. 1462 (Voice Vote) — "To combat the rise of prenatal opioid abuse and neonatal abstinence syndrome."
H.R. 1725 (Voice Vote) — "To amend and reauthorize the controlled substance monitoring program under section 399O of the Public Health Service Act, and for other
H.R. 2820 (Voice Vote) — "To reauthorize the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005, and for other purposes."
S. 1359 (388-2) — "To allow manufacturers to meet warranty and labeling requirements for consumer products by displaying the terms of warranties on Internet websites, and for other purposes."

This morning ahead of the House debate on the president’s Iran nuclear agreement this week, Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) held a press conference on the Iran Nuke Deal, He said, “In all my travels over the last month, the issue I heard about the most was the issue of the Iran agreement.

“Listen, this is a bad deal. Most Americans oppose it. Most Members of Congress oppose it – including the top Democrats on the Foreign Affairs Committee in both the House and the Senate.

“At this point, I think the president has lost this debate with the American people. He lost it the moment that he agreed to a deal that allows Iran to stay on a path to develop a nuclear weapon.

“We’re going to do all we can to continue to try to stop this bad deal.”

The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today and resumed consideration of H. J. Res. 61, the vehicle for the Resolution of Disapproval of the president’s agreement with Iran.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 96-0 to confirm Roseann Ketchmark to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Missouri.

While the House of Representatives may be able to block the Iran Deal, there is pending doubt this may occur in the Senate, with Democrats either blocking a vote or showing a willingness to aid in supporting a veto of Congresses disapproval by President Obama.

Democrats are lining up to protect a deal with an Iranian regime that still calls America the “Great Satan,” still declares it considers the U.S. it’s number one enemy, still boasts it will continue arming terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas, and has been responsible for attacks on American soldiers for years.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal editors wrote, “Democrats had better hope [the Iran deal] succeeds because they are taking responsibility for Iran’s compliance and imperial ambitions. Politically speaking, they now own the Ayatollahs. . . . Democrats will reinforce their ownership if they now use a Senate filibuster to block a vote on the motion of disapproval.”

In the weeks since the deal was announced, the leaders of the Iranian regime Democrats who support the deal will be embracing an agreement with have left little doubt as to where they stand. According to Bloomberg News, “Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran won’t engage the U.S. in any issue beyond the nuclear program and renewed his attacks on Israel, saying the ‘Zionist regime’ won’t exist in 25 years. . . . Commenting on Israel, Khamenei said that ‘after the nuclear agreement they said in the Zionist regime that they are relieved of any concerns for the next 25 years.’ ‘God willing in the next 25 years such a thing as the Zionist regime won’t exist,’ he said.”

The AP noted another topic of Khamenei’s speech. “Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that his country will not enter into talks with the United States outside of the nuclear deal with world powers as Washington could use other negotiations to ‘penetrate’ the Islamic Republic. . . .

“‘We approved talks with the United States about nuclear issue specifically. We have not allowed talks with the U.S. in other fields and we not negotiate with them,’ Khamenei said. Speaking to a group of people in Tehran, Khamenei reiterated that America remains the ‘Great Satan.’ ‘The Iranian nation ousted the Satan. We should not let it back through the window to penetrate’ Iran, he said.”

But it’s not just Khamenei reiterating this view. Last week, the AP reported, “The head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday the United States is still the ‘Great Satan,’ regardless of the nuclear deal struck with the Americans and other world powers over the Islamic Republic’s contested nuclear program. The comments by Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, reported by the official Guard website, said enmity against Iran by the U.S. hasn’t lessened. ‘We should not be deceived by the U.S.,’ Mr. Jafari reportedly said. ‘It wants to infiltrate into Iran, resorting to new instruments and method.’

The AP also reported, “Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the head of Iran’s powerful Experts Assembly, which oversees the nation’s Supreme Leader and institutions under his supervision, also said the nuclear deal won’t alter Iran’s foreign policy toward the U.S. ‘The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the U.S. its No. 1 enemy,’ Yazdi said.

Also last week, >Reuters reported on another reminder given by the Iranian leader. “Khamenei also criticized the United States' Middle East policy, suggesting that antagonism prevailing between Iran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Tehran will not abate because of the nuclear deal.

“‘One of America's regional policies is to fully destroy the forces of resistance and wants to retake full control of Iraq and Syria ... America expects Iran to be part of this framework,’ Khamenei told a session of the Assembly of Experts which has the power both to dismiss a Supreme Leader and to choose one. "But this will never happen.’

“By ‘forces of resistance’, Khamenei was alluding to Islamist militant groups such as Hezbollah, a close ally -- like Iran -- of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his war with rebels trying to overthrow him.”

It’s also important to remember what the Iranian regime has done over the last several years. During his confirmation hearing, the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford said, “I know the total number of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that were killed by Iranian activities, and the number has been recently quoted as about 500.” He reminded lawmakers that Iran is a “malign force.”

U.S. military leaders have repeatedly linked Iran to attacks on American troops in the Middle East. Retired Admiral Mike Mullen said in 2011, “Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shia groups (in Iraq), which are killing our troops.” He added, “They are shipping high-tech weapons in there - RAMS, EFPs - which are killing our people and the forensics prove that.”

Around the same time, Bloomberg News wrote, “Iran is furnishing new, more deadly weapons to Shiite Muslim militias targeting U.S. troops in Iraq as part of a pattern of renewed attempts to exert influence in the region, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said.”

And The Washington Post reported, “In a 2009 report on global terrorism, the State Department accused Iran of providing Iraqi militant groups with 'advanced rockets, sniper rifles, automatic weapons and mortars' for use against coalition forces. The report also accused Iran of increasingly the lethality of the roadside bombs, or IEDs, that militants were using to blow up U.S. military vehicles.”

ARRA News Service contributing Gary Bauer noted today: "Many members of Congress are just as frustrated as you are by this deal and how it is being handled. They are pursuing a variety of options to stop it. For example:

• Rep. Louie Gohmert offered a resolution declaring the deal to be a treaty and demanding it be considered as such.
• Rep. Peter Roskam offered a resolution declaring that the president is not in compliance with the Iran Nuclear Review Act, as we discussed in yesterday's report. Ted Cruz has introduced a similar resolution in the Senate.
• Members of the House Freedom Caucus are considering other options to delay the House vote.

Meanwhile, Senate leaders are fighting over procedure. Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid objected to scheduling a vote and is now making additional demands.

But keep this in mind: Every Democratic senator voted for the Iran Nuclear Review Act. The purpose of that law was to ensure that members of Congress would have the opportunity to review the deal and vote their conscience.

Given that, it is unconscionable that Democrats may now filibuster the resolution of disapproval, thereby preventing a full debate and vote on the deal.

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Tags: Speaker John Boehner, Defense, Iran, Iran Deal, News, Senate, Gary Bauer, editorial Cartoon, AF Branco To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. and "Like" Facebook Page - Thanks!