‘Turning point’ — Obama defeats Netanyahu and ‘destroyers of hope’ on Iran Deal!

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

http://mondoweiss.net/2015/09/turning-defeats-netanyahu

You’ve read it already, but we had to jump on the bandwagon. Today’s news that Barbara Mikulski supports the Iran Deal has put President Obama over the top. Hurray. He has defeated Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Netanyahu’s lobby to win the most important foreign policy shift of his administration. And achieve the biggest setback to the lobby’s power in a generation.

Now it’s all about getting to cloture: 41 votes, so that the Dems can filibuster the anti-agreement vote.

John Kerry has triumphed. He hasn’t announced a victory, but he made a big speech today. Glorious ending, and a slam at the “destroyers of hope.”

The Iran agreement is not a panacea for the sectarian and extremist violence that has been ripping that region apart. But history may judge it a turning point, a moment when the builders of stability seized the initiative from the destroyers of hope, and when we were able to show, as have generations before us, that when we demand the best from ourselves and insist that others adhere to a similar high standard – when we do that, we have immense power to shape a safer and a more humane world. That’s what this is about and that’s what I hope we will do in the days ahead.

The war profiteers loose this one, I guess, but not to worry. They'll find other other wars and profit.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. They don’t fear the Israel lobby.

Amber Phillips of the Washington Post said just now on the Takeaway that pro-Israel groups thought they could get Democrats, but they only have gotten Menendez and Schumer so far because the President worked the phones, even sending a hand-written note to Senator Chris Coons of Delaware; and meantime a cascade of Dems has supported the deal, one after another.

Among the president’s most significant gets in recent days were Chris Coons and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. They don’t fear the Israel lobby. Back in 2012 Casey signed on to neoconservative legislation on Iran because he was running for reelection. Now he’s a lot freer. Though Casey’s long statement on the deal includes a lot of Israel pandering. More arms:

In my years in the Senate, I have been resolute in supporting measures to bolster Israel’s security and its qualitative military edge in the region. I have pressed for full funding of security assistance to Israel, especially on cooperative missile defense programs. I was an early supporter of the U.S.–Israel Strategic Partnership Act, legislation that was signed into law last year and will continue to expand our bilateral cooperation on security and other issues. I will continue to lead on these legislative efforts, because I believe the bilateral relationship between the United States and Israel is unbreakable and that the U.S. must stand with Israel against threats to its national security

More arms for Israel. Yay!

Well, at least we have the votes.

[HassleCat]

2. But they're not conceding, I guess

Yesterday, my computer was full of pop-ups telling me to call my Senators, the two who represent my state, and urge them to torpedo the president. Today they want me to call Cardin and another whose name I forget. They must be desperate if they're trying to get non-constituents to call other peoples' Senators. I guess they think they have a couple who might weaken.

[6chars]

3. mission accomplished

[shira]

4. I guess the Evil Elders from the Lobby of the 12 Tribes don't rule the world after all.

Haters are going to have to give that one up.

[6chars]

5. A lot of people are celebrating this as a defeat of Israel

That is wrong in so many ways. But for one, if half the justification for the deal is that it is good for Israel, then this whole defeating Israel thing is showing there is more going on. More importantly, wtf, that people are all about defeating Israel. I understand that ISIS and Iran and Hamas like to talk about it a lot, but Israel is still a strong US ally, and if this really is a defeat, it's really ugly to say "ha ha, you lost, Obama won, Iran won" - I am not about creating hate w/Iran, but their leaders are saying daily what they say "we must annihilate Israel, we will use the $ the foolish Americans conceded to us to buy the weapons they conceded to us to destroy Israel." The leaders saying this really do deserve to be treated as the true aggressive war mongers they are. And speaking of leaders, why is Kerry so careful to refer to "the Supreme Leader" - as if this is a sign of a great democracy and power of peace, when actually he's the one leading the death to America chant. Sorry Shira. The discourse here remains jarring.

[geek tragedy]

6. U mad bro?

Israel is going to pay a price for its egregious meddling in our affairs. So, lose/lose for perhaps the most arrogant government on the planet.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

7. It will be mission accomplished once PBO lowers the boom on Netanyahu at the UN.

Oh, the payback...the payback.

[6chars]

9. Someone is giddy

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

15. Right wing Israel + Netanyahoo get what they deserve

for meddling in American politics.

If you play with fire you're liable to get burned.

Sorry if that bums you out.

[6chars]

16. I hope you think like me

in that you would not want to see a war that leads to mass deaths in any country. I don't much care about which politician wins and loses bragging rights.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

17. Of course I am NOT fir hostilities in any way,

but apparently Bibi is.

His track record speaks volumes so you can look to that assh@le, and his supporters, for the sabre rattling.

[Little Tich]

8. I'm glad the destroyer of hope lost this round,

but unfortunately, he's hurt his country and probably damaged the US bipartisan support for Israel permanently. There will be a backlash all right, but it will hurt Israel and not the destroyer of hope...

[6chars]

10. Let me get this straight

The deal is based on the hope that in fifteen years, Iran won't decide to legally cross the threshold and attack, the hope that it won't use hundreds of billions of dollars to engage in and promote aggression from its proxies in the Mideast and around the world. My hope for this is destroyed by the Iranian leadership continuing to vow to do these things even after the deal is signed. To the extent that Israeli leadership does not have such high hopes, and wishes the deal were based on more than just hope, the negativity of the phrase reflects arrogance and naivete on the part of its utterer.

[Little Tich]

11. The agreement lowers tensions and the risk for war.

By normalizing relations there's less need for being confrontational, and problems can be solved, not only enforced ad baculum. Even Iran's proxy wars can be potentially be solved diplomatically. If you compare Obama's outstretched hand of peace with Netanyahu's attempts to bomb Iran three (?) times already, it's easy to imagine that Iran is more likely to respond in a confrontational way if the "Must bomb Iran" guy is in charge.

Farther down the track, there's no reason why Iran wouldn't stay with the NPT, especially if countries like India and Pakistan get onboard, perhaps even Israel.

Unfortunately, Israel's problem is Netanyahu, not Iran. US bipartisan support for Israel is much more important than the low level strategic threat from Iran.

[6chars]

12. Hope

Hope you're right. It does seem Netanyahu has made himself a large part of the story when it comes to Israel, and not in a way that is helpful to Israel. I wonder if he will be successfully challenged soon.

[geek tragedy]

13. " The deal is based on the hope that in fifteen years, Iran won't decide to legally cross the

threshold and attack, the hope that it won't use hundreds of billions of dollars to engage in and promote aggression from its proxies in the Mideast and around the world. "

That is a blatant lie. A lie. A great big dishonest rightwing lie spread by rightwing warmongering liars such as AIPAC and Netanyahu and Tom Cotton. It is utterly divorced from reality, so much so no one who is familiar with the deal can honestly believe what you wrote.

In 15 years, Iran will be further from a nuclear weapon than it is today. That is the point of the deal. In 15 years, the US and its allies will have an extraordinarily good idea on how Iran's nuclear program and its supply chain works. That is the point of the deal.

Iran will be unable to build secret nuclear facilities underground, safe from bunker busters, for 15 years. That is the point of the deal. Iran will be subject to the most intrusive, comprehensive nuclear inspections in human history. That is the point of the deal.

Nothing in the deal would take a military option off the table in 5 years, or 10 years, or 15 years, or 15 years and one day. Indeed, a military option would be MORE credible because of the greatly enhanced information about Iran's nuclear program. That is the point of the deal.

To the extent that Israeli leadership does not have such high hopes, and wishes the deal were based on more than just hope, the negativity of the phrase reflects arrogance and naivete on the part of its utterer.

The Israeli leadership wants to rerun the Iraq war in order to bring about regime change in Iran, as do their dissembling propagandists and apologists. There is no naivete amongst deal supporters, but extraordinary arrogance in Team Netanyahu and Team Neocon and Team Republican in thinking their belief in aggression and bellicosity trumps what the rest of the planet wants.

[geek tragedy]

14. Netanyahu never intended to win this policy fight.

His goal was to win his own re-election and to boost the Republicans by going scorched earth amongst the Jewish community--essentially saying that those who stuck by their president and principles were betraying Israel.

The entire point was to peel off Jewish voters and campaign donations from the Democrats and make them Republicans.