Deep Partisan Split in Response to Netanyahu Speech.

There are a lot of common mistakes which are being made in the negotiations with Iran by our inexperienced negotiator.  There are all kinds of red flags, warning signs, flashing lights, and shrieking alarms.  He needs to take a deep breath and get off that slippery slope to a really poor agreement.  The way I see it and I know nothing but common sense.  Iran is the biggest LIAR in our world so why would we believe them?   No negotiation involves only one issue and only one issue.  If you think yours does – you are making a big mistake. Remember, all parties want something, or they wouldn’t be at the bargaining table.  The big question is, “Why are they negotiating with me?”

So here is the rest of the naysayers story:

March 3, 2015

In his historic speech before Congress Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear-enabled Iran; he also widened the partisan divide in the 114th Congress, many believe.

Republicans stood on their feet and roared their approval of the prime minister’s hard line against Iran. House Speaker John Boehner seemed to speak for many in his party when he called Netanyahu’s message “a speech the American people needed to hear.”
Democrats, on the other hand, applauded enthusiastically when Netanyahu spoke about bipartisan support of Israel, but were much more subdued when he spoke about policy toward Iran, clapping only politely and rarely joining their Republican counterparts in standing. Democrats’ reactions after the speech ranged from disappointed to outraged. Many felt Netanyahu had no business in the first place coming to Congress and “lecturing” the president, in the words of an annoyed House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

The speech had the pomp and circumstance of a State of the Union, with the entire chamber giving Netanyahu a deafening cheer as he entered. Early in his talk, Netanyahu acknowledged President Obama’s support of Israel. “We appreciate all that President Obama has done for Israel,” Netanyahu said, before listing numerous times the president had aided his nation. “I will always be grateful to President Obama for that support.”

The comment drew a standing ovation and rousing applause from Democrats, but only a few Republicans hesitantly joined in, the vast majority of them staying in their seats.

Later, once Netanyahu got deeper into the purpose of his speech – to criticize the negotiations between the Obama administration, other allies and Iran over the country’s nuclear programs – it was the GOP doing most of the applauding.

“My friends, for over a year, we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal,” Netanyahu said. “Well, this is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. We’re better off without it.”

Republicans cheered at that remark – as did the majority of the audience in the chamber, which included former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and GOP donor and Israel supporter Sheldon Adelson. Most Democrats stayed sitting.

Throughout the speech, Pelosi looked increasingly frustrated, shaking her head in disagreement, speaking angrily to those sitting around her and often barely clapping and sitting quickly during even the bipartisan ovations. Pelosi released a statement after the speech tearing into Netanyahu for the tone of his address.

“I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi, like all Democrats commenting after the speech, reiterated her steadfast support for the nation of Israel. But she was far from alone in her negative reaction. Rep. John Yarmuth was one of the more than 50 Democrats who skipped the speech, though he watched it in his office. In a press conference later, Yarmuth blasted the speech as “political theater.”

“I resented the condescending tone that he used, which basically indicated that he didn’t think anybody in Congress or the country understood the threat that a nuclear, weaponized Iran poses to his country, to the region and the world,” Yarmuth said.

The majority of the criticism leading up to Netanyahu’s address centered around the timing, two weeks before Israelis go to the polls to vote for prime minister, and the fact that Boehner invited the Israeli leader without notifying the White House.

Afterward, however, many Democrats were critical not only of the timing and invitation, but also of the content of Netanyahu’s speech. Many Democrats suggested it would cause problems for the negotiations taking place.

Rep. Peter Welch, a Vermont Democrat, attended the speech, he said, hoping Netanyahu would produce a strong justification for why the speech was necessary, given the timing and the manner in which it took place.

“Frankly, I came away from the speech disappointed,” Welch said. “A nuclear Iran is off the table, the president has made that clear. And his position: distrust but verify. His position: no deal is better than a bad deal. What I heard from the prime minister today was that no deal is better than any deal. I did not hear from the prime minister plan B. What will happen as an alternative if we have no negotiations.”

Republicans, on the other hand, were as positive after the speech as they were during it, championing his hard line on Iran and placing it at odds with the Obama administration. Boehner stuck to his guns and said he had every right to invite the prime minister.

Boehner said the speech “addressed the gravity of the threats we face and why we cannot allow a nuclear Iran, or any semblance of a path to a nuclear Iran. It demonstrated why there is such deep-seated – and bipartisan – concern about the deal that is being made. I thank my colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, who took the time to hear the Prime Minister’s address on behalf of their constituents, and I hope all Americans will have the chance to see it for themselves.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed the sentiment. He also placed on the legislative calendar a bill that would give Congress the right to review and vote on an agreement reached between the P5+1 countries and Iran.

“This morning, Prime Minister Netanyahu laid out the threat posed by a nuclear Iran in clear terms— not just to Israel, not just to the United States, but to the entire world,” McConnell said. “He reminded us that no deal with Iran is better than a bad deal with Iran.”

For where I sit – there is too much grinding.  Negotiations are a skill and an art. The real distinction between the Pro and the Amateur is the judgment call to end the give-and-take and proceed to performance – that is the art.  America has nothing to lose – Iran does!

kommonsentsjane