Republicans Spin Wheels on Iran Deal

A waste of time and taxpayer money - “The bruising battle over the Iran nuclear agreement should be over, now that 42 Democratic senators declared their support for the deal and made it clearer than ever that efforts to kill it will fail. But the Republican-led Congress seems determined to drag out the fight, even if it means neglecting other business, including legislation to fund the government.”

--“Of course, the Republicans don’t much care about governing or putting in place the protections needed to make sure the nuclear agreement, reached in July between Iran and six major powers, is carefully and strongly enforced. This would include providing full funding for the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will play a crucial role in inspecting and monitoring compliance with the pact.”

--“Instead, the Republicans, who unanimously oppose the agreement, on Wednesday signaled their intent to keep fighting, at least until Sept. 17, the deadline for action set by Congress when it passed legislation in May giving it a say in approving or disapproving the accord. If lawmakers do nothing by next Thursday, the deal goes into effect.” Read the full story from The New York Times Editorial Board here. http://nyti.ms/1K9JXTV

See also - “On Iran deal, Republicans move swiftly to snatch defeat from jaws of defeat,” by Greg Sargent for The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/1K9USkZ

Facts and logic - “The fight in Washington over the Iran nuclear deal appears all over but the shouting. Opponents don't have the votes in Congress to block the agreement, but that isn't stopping dueling television and newspaper ads from spelling out the pros and cons, or presidential candidates from trying to seize political advantage.”

--“With its less-than-airtight inspections regime, this deal isn't perfect; but it's better than no deal… This agreement is best seen as a no-illusions transaction that averts worse outcomes for both sides.” Read more from the Editorial Board of USA Today. http://usat.ly/1KEQNHv

Tweet- @TheIranDeal: #StopIranDeal? Why? The Iran deal will block every path to a nuclear bomb: http://go.wh.gov/IranDeal #SoMuchWinning http://bit.ly/1LZvZYt

Hillary Clinton says distrust and verify - “In a major speech at the Brookings Institution today, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a strong defense of the nuclear agreement with Iran while laying out a comprehensive plan to oppose Iranian influence throughout the Middle East. ‘We need to be clear-eyed about what we can expect from Iran… This isn’t the start of some larger diplomatic opening, and we shouldn’t expect that this deal will lead to a broader change in their behavior.’”

--“In line with her overall assessment of Iranian intentions and conduct, Clinton stated, in a modification of Ronald Reagan’s famous line, that ‘My approach will be distrust and verify… Great powers can’t just junk agreements and expect the rest of the world to go along with us; we need to be reasonable and consistent, and we need to keep our word — especially when we’re trying to lead a coalition.’” Full story from William A. Galston. http://brook.gs/1KaxAaa

Bernie on the Iran deal - “I support the agreement that the United States negotiated with China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom and Iran. I believe this approach is the best way forward if we are to accomplish what we all want to accomplish -- that is making certain that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon -- an occurrence which would destabilize the region, lead to a nuclear arms race in the area and would endanger the existence of Israel.”

--“It is my firm belief that the test of a great nation, with the most powerful military on earth, is not how many wars we can engage in, but how we can use our strength and our capabilities to resolve international conflicts in a peaceful way.” Read the full statement from Senator Bernie Sanders here. http://huff.to/1QptwYX

Tweet - @nukes_of_hazard: NIAC president @tparsi on diplomacy and the #IranDeal: "This is how you pursue foreign policy and advance national security." http://bit.ly/1VQ2zR9

Colin Powell champions the Iran deal - “I think it is a good deaI,” former Secretary of State Colin Powell told Chuck Todd during an interview on Meet the Press on Sunday. “I'm reminded of what my former boss Ronald Reagan used to say when he talked to the Soviets, ‘Trust but verify.’ With respect to the Iranians, it's don't trust, never trust, and always verify.”

--“They [The Iranians] have been on a superhighway for the last ten years to create a nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapons program, with no speed limit… That has been thrown into a detour. It isn't going to happen... The other thing I've noticed is that they had a stockpile of something in the neighborhood of 12,000 kilograms of uranium. This deal will bring it down to 300 kilograms… It's a remarkable reduction. And I'm amazed that they would do this. But they have done it.” Read full transcript here. http://nbcnews.to/1XyDEn9

Rep. Wasserman Schultz backs Iran accord - U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman- Schultz (D- FL) announced her endorsement of the Iran deal in the Miami Herald Sunday writing, “I have… come to the conclusion that the agreement promotes the national-security interests of the United States and our allies and merits my vote of support.”

--“The bottom line is that even if the United States rejects this deal, Iran will likely have access to billions of dollars… I was not able to make sense out of the argument that with access to additional resources, we should leave Iran without a deal, unguarded and unchecked… Therefore, my review leads me to the conclusion that we cannot now get a better deal, as I was unable to find a credible source to say otherwise.” Read full op-ed here.http://hrld.us/1hMV924

See also - “Why It Matters That Colin Powell and Debbie Wasserman Schultz Support the Iran Agreement,” by Joe Cirincione for the Huffington Post. http://huff.to/1ig1yDS

Quick Hits:

--“Rep. Hoyer will back Iran nuclear deal,” by John Fritze for Baltimore Sun . http://bsun.md/1XPN2CY

--“Peace has a chance with Iran nuclear deal,” by the Editorial Board for St. Louis Post-Dispatch. http://bit.ly/1JXi6Y3

Events:

--“U.S. Nuclear Policy Toward China,” featuring 11 speakers. Friday, September 11th from 8:30 AM - 3:30 PM at The George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs, City View Room - 7th Floor, 1957 E Street NW, Washington, DC. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1UE5eQM

--“Iran’s Nuclear Chess: After the Deal.” Friday, September 11th from 9:00 - 10:00 AM at Wilson Center, 6th Floor Auditorium, Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1UJcvtr

--“Emerging Missile Defense and SMDC Requirements,” featuring Lt. Gen. David Mann, Commander U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. Wednesday, September 16th from 8:00 - 9:00 AM at Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street SE, Washington, DC. RSVP here. http://conta.cc/1Iu22Qe

--“Conference on the Enduring Value of Nuclear Deterrence,” featuring Gen. Robin Rand, Lt. Gen. Jack Weinstein, Gen. Larry Welch (ret.), Gen. Robert Kehler (ret.), Frank Miller and Vice Adm. Terry Benedict. Thursday, September 17th from 7:30 AM - 1:40 PM at Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street SE, Washington, DC. RSVP by email: lisam@minotchamber.org.