Once again the Obama administration pulls the US away from the path to war...

[DonViejo]

Gamechanger: Inside the Historic Iran Nuclear Deal

By Christopher DickeyNovember 24th 20138:19 AM

Once again the Obama administration pulls the United States away from the path to war, but that’s not the same as peace.

Forget “apocalypse now” for now. The diplomatic agreement Iran reached in the wee hours of Sunday morning with the United States, Britain, Russia, China, Germany and France (yes, even reluctant France) stops Tehran’s rush toward the potential production of nuclear weapons. It makes it difficult—if not impossible—for Israel to start a war to try to eliminate that threat, and in return, it offers only very modest relief from the draconian sanctions crippling the Iranian economy.

If Americans are paying attention, they should be happy. Hell, they should break out the bubbly! A Washington Post-ABC News poll last week described a deal with Iran precisely like the one just agreed, and more than twice as many people (64 percent) supported it as opposed it (30 percent), even though two-thirds said they were “not confident” an agreement would stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

But if Secretary of State John Kerry’s tone of triumph was a little muted in the dark hours before dawn Sunday morning, it was because he knew we have a long way to go in the world’s most treacherous regions with some of the world’s most treacherous powers before we see genuinely positive results from this diplomatic initiative.

"If this first step leads to what is our ultimate goal—which is a comprehensive agreement—that will make the world safer,” Kerry told the bleary-eyed press corps.

The revelations that secret U.S.-Iran negotiations over many months preceded this deal, according to the Associated Press, and quiet easing of some sanctions already had taken place, as reported by Eli Lake in The Daily Beast, will not reassure Israel and Saudi Arabia. The two nations have been, for many decades, America’s closest and most vital allies in the Middle East, and they weren’t consulted about the secret talks—which is to say, they weren’t trusted.

full article
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/11/24/gamechager-inside-the-historic-iran-nuclear-deal.html

[cilla4progress]

1. Reminiscent

of JFK and Cuba.

Well-timed...

[polichick]

2. And the mic's not going to be happy this time either.

[cilla4progress]

3. ???

[polichick]

4. The mic - military industrial complex...

doesn't like to miss out on war profits.

[cilla4progress]

5. Oh...

got it!

[libdem4life]

6. Just read a great article that is long, but cogent about the relevant history to this event

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/Power-and-the-Presidency-From-Kennedy-to-Obama.html

It's worth the read, but even just for the photo of JFK and RFK ... almost brought me to tears.

[bigdarryl]

7. And yet a poll came out this morning saying most Americans don't think he's a leader

I think a lot of this is the fact that for whatever reason the news media and press had decided to go ALL OUT negative on the President no matter what he does.

[Avalux]

8. Peace is boring and doesn't get the ratings that bombing campaign do.

And yes, Obama. Whatever he does it's his fault, even if it's a good thing.