Since the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the Republicans have favored economic sanctions rather than negotiations in the Iran nuclear dossier. But now they’re now starting to “feel the heat.” The latest tool in their arsenal: a letter signed by 47 senators to dissuade Iran from signing the agreement.
On March 9, Josh Rogin, a columnist from the website Bloomberg View, published a copy of the letter to the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran signed by 47 senators.
The goal of this letter is to convince Iran not to sign an agreement on its nuclear program. The letter claims that the agreement could be reneged on by the Senate or the next president once Barack Obama leaves the White House in 2017.
47 Republican Senators Try To Be Killjoys
Like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before the Senate and House of Representatives on March 3, the Republican senators’ letter was strongly criticized by President Obama and his administration.
The letter’s author, Tom Cotton — the Arkansas Republican who defeated outgoing Democrat Mark Pryor during the midterm elections in November 2014 — responded to Vice President Joe Biden’s criticism.
Referring to a quote by the Obama administration’s former secretary of defense, Republican Robert Gates, Cotton stated that “Biden … has been wrong about nearly every major foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years.”
Four current senators who are also potential candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination signed the letter: Marco Rubio (Florida), Ted Cruz (Texas), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) and Rand Paul (Kentucky). Cotton even encouraged all 2016 presidential hopefuls — including Hillary Clinton — to sign the letter. Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) and the president of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, John McCain (Arizona), also signed it.
However, the chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bob Corker (Tennessee), is one of seven Republicans who didn’t sign the petition. Corker decided to distance himself from his colleagues. He’s trying to get a two-thirds majority in the Senate to approve his bipartisan bill that would allow Congress to revise a future agreement about Iran’s nuclear program. Democratic support would be needed to reverse a possible presidential veto of this bill and the letter makes convincing them even harder.
Sabotaging Foreign Policy?
For some, like Vox’s Max Fisher, congressional Republicans’ obstruction strategy has crossed a line that the GOP hadn’t dared to cross until now — hindering the United States’ foreign policy. These senators’ intervention in negotiations is a rare occurrence in congressional history according to specialist Norman Ornstein.
On the other hand, discussions between members of Congress and representatives of foreign governments is commonplace. It’s also one of the nonlegislative ways senators and members of Congress can influence foreign policy.
In the letter, Senate Republicans tried to reaffirm Congress’ role in the approval process of an eventual agreement. But the way they chose to present their position is problematic. If Iranian leaders back out of negotiations, Republicans will be associated with Iranian hardliners, who are against any kind of agreement albeit for opposing reasons.
A Dubious Approach to a Serious Issue
By grandstanding in this way, Cotton and his colleagues are discrediting their position, which isn’t just an attempt to derail foreign policy. They are denouncing the Obama administration’s use of an executive agreement instead of a treaty to complete an eventual agreement with Iran. They also want to defend their institution’s ability to affect foreign policy and defense issues, a power that has diminished since World War II.
But by using strategies like the ones they have used to campaign against Obamacare, they are undermining their credibility. They are also compromising initiatives like Bob Corker’s that could win over Democrats, who are already questioning Corker’s bill because of procedural issues.
Since the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the Republicans have favored economic sanctions rather than negotiations in the Iran nuclear dossier. It’s proof that Republicans are starting to “feel the heat.” Negotiations between the P5+1 group and Iran are underway. It could even lead to an agreement that would be at the heart of “Obama’s legacy” in foreign policy — a scenario that exasperates the GOP.
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