Normally, I have an article to share, but today I’m just going to share six video clips in which Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O’Donnell and their guests express their views. Finally there is a summery of the Republican Plan. I’d also like you to have to have an opportunity to do something that no Republican could have done before declaring opposition to the deal. To read the text in it’s entirety, click here.
Ed’s video: President Barack Obama hails a deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program but Republicans vow to kill it. Ed Schultz, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Paul Eaton and the Stimon Center’s Laicie Heeley weigh in on the historic agreement.
Rachel’s first video: Joe Cirincione, president of The Ploughshares Fund, talks with Rachel Maddow about the chances for success of the newly announced nuclear deal with Iran and how diplomacy could take the US and Iran out of a war posture for the first time in a generation.
Rachel’s second video: Vali Nasr, dean of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, talks with Rachel Maddow about politics within the U.S. and also within Iran, and the pressures of global circumstances that will determine whether the Iran nuclear deal succeeds.
Lawrence’s first video: The Iran deal states "… under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons." Lawrence discusses the details of the deal with nuclear expert Matthew Bunn, analyst Phyllis Bennis and Foreign Policy’s James Traub.
Lawrence’s second video: Lawrence talks to NBC News Historian Michael Beschloss and Jonathan Alter about the historical significance of today’s deal with Iran and what it could mean for Pres. Obama’s legacy after he leaves office.
The Republican Plan:
Looking ahead, there are two things to keep in mind. Most of the arguments against the deal relate to Iran’s status as a bad actor, which is true, But Iran’s non-nuclear behavior has nothing to do with this deal. Second, the other choices are to accept Itan having nuclear weapons short term of go to war to stop it.
15 Responses to “Reactions to the Iran Deal”
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the 2 Rachel videos are awesome, thanks.
as I said elsewhere, must be a good deal since GOP and PM Netanyahu hate it.
Lona commented earlier this month that Republicans must be conflating the Founding Fathers and the Pilgrims – brilliant, I thought (and still think). Now, I think Republicans (and maybe others) seem to be conflating Iran and Iraq. I am not saying both are not bad actors – they are. But they are not the same bad actor. Also there is a substantial difference between leaving some of our troops where they already are (which I am also opposed to) and invading another country outright. I guess, though, it's not news when Republicans don't know what they are talking about.
One video was interrupted by my browser and another by an important phone call, so I have not been through all yet. I did get through Ed's clip and was heartened to see that almost equal support was coming in from Republicans as from Democrats. There was a bigger gap between men and women – maybe not entirely unexpected.
Now, I think Republicans (and maybe others) seem to be conflating Iran and Iraq…..I guess, though, it's not news when Republicans don't know what they are talking about.
Most of them know essentially nothing about the area. Remember that Rubio accused Obama of going easy on ISIS in order to avoid offending Iran (in fact Iran is helping Iraq fight against ISIS and has urged the US top do more against ISIS). They extrapolate from Iraq to Iran because they know so little about the latter. In fact, the two are very different.
I half expect them to start mixing up the big stories of the day and demanding that we invade Pluto.
ROTFL! I wish I'd said that!
Excellent point there, Joanne. Many people know very little about the area and its incredibly complex political, religious, cultural and ethnic contexture, and even for the people living there it may be very confusing at times, but the Republicans are not so much confused as intentionally ignorant. They just don't want to know, lest it should interfere with their preconceived ideas about Arabs/Muslims and their warmongering.
Technical experts give a "Thumbs Up" … AND an easy Check-off List to see if it's a "Good Deal":
Does it slow them down?
“Yes.”
Does it slow them down in a way that is verifiable?
"Yes."
Does it slow them down more than bombing them would?
"Yes."
Okay, then – it’s a good deal!
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2015/07/technical-experts-weigh-and-theyre-pretty-impressed-iran-deal
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/07/15/1402455/-Republican-leaders-ponder-their-options-for-blocking-Iran-deal-An-expert-undermines-their-stance
I have one thing to say
video:https://youtu.be/FDu6HYWdxkQ
The propaganda on the right may be strong. Other countries are singing in the streets. President Obama is a great man. And I am so glad he became Our president. Someone knew he deserved "The Noble Peace prize.
And no matter how they write about him in the history books(We were here and know the truth) or how many sick people love war and greed. America nows has another way besides sending out there sons or daugthers out to kill and coming home in bags or scared for life Peace can be achieved by bringing everyone to the table.
Just read where AIPAC is circulating a petition against the deal…heavy sigh
As Dave C. said, if the Republicans and Netanyahu are against it , it has to be a good deal. It occurs to me that if the Iranians start selling oil, too, the price will go down, and the Saudi's won't make as much money. Maybe that is one of the reasons the Republicans are against the deal before they even read it. We don't need and cannot afford another war in the Middle East. This deal may prevent that from happening.
I think this is a good, comprehensive agreement, but I am sorry to say that I trust Iran to live up to this agreement more than I do the US. Tom Cotton and the other 46 Republicanus/Teabaggerum seditionists who signed and sent a letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei earlier this year saying that future US administrations would not be bound to any agreement, and the Republicanus/Teabaggerum propensity for war are my prime reasons for this mistrust. The Republicanus/Teabaggerum are loose cannons and in bed with Netanyahu. Netanyahu has hinted at a unilateral attack on Iran.
The world can not afford the likes of Netanyahu, the Republicanus/Teabaggerum, Harper, Merkel, Putin and a host of others who would rather tear down than build up.
I nearly had forgotten about that act of sedition, Lynn and I fully agree with you that based on that letter to the Ayatollahs (the very right wing in Iran) and the warnings they sent them about their own reliability, the US, i.e. Republican held Congress, is far less trustworthy than Iran where the Ayatollahs have not stopped the closing of the deal, which they could have. And don't forget that people on your list of destroyers, Merkel and Putin, and to which I would add Cameron, have also been partners in this deal. Perhaps the Iranians are so much shrewder politicians and know that with so many untrustworthy partners in this deal, it may never come to anything and they'll come out as the victors with their reputation positively strengthened.
As with Obamacare, the Republicans don't fear that this agreement will fail — they fear that it will succeed. Obamacare got millions of people insurance and did not produce any of the disasters the Republicans predicted, and thus made them look like the hysterical fools they were. If this agreement does stop the Iranian nuclear program and improves relations — which, remember, will help mitigate Iranian state support of terrorism by strengthening the moderates there against the extreme Islamists — the effect after the Republicans' invocations of Armageddon will be the same.
After the Republicans track record of hysterically denouncing everything Obama does, their denunciations of this have little credibility with anyone except their own core true believers.
Obviously if a Republican is elected President next year, the agreement is likely to be sabotaged, but the likelihood of a Republican President is looking increasingly remote.
Europe seems pretty happy with this deal, but than people here have never been as fearful of Iran and its cravings for nuclear arms as the US. Not after the "weapons of mass destruction" were nowhere to be found in Iraq anyway.
On national radio yesterday they had a poll on the question "Is the world going to be a safer place with this deal?", which was in itself a very badly put question and answered by many something along the lines of: "Iran wasn't the country that threw the first atom bombs on Japan, was it?" but the majority of people agreed it was a good deal. Many of those that were very much against it, started to point out how Israel would now be wiped from the map and similar hasbara-like rhetoric, obvioulsly forgetting that Israel already has nuclear weapons, never ratified any treaty and is now hinting at deploying them.
Te RepublicanTs don't prosper as much during Peace time as they do when we are at war. that is the bottom line to their protestations.
Amen to all.
Big mess here today.
Hugs!