So President Obama calls out Democratic Senators and accuses them of 'wanting war.' Seriously? [View all]

[Are_grits_groceries]

"They want war!"

So the President has called out Democratic senators who oppose the agreement with Iran as it is with this charge, "They want war."

Seriously? That is inflammatory hyperbole used against those who have been his allies in many battles in Congress. They have stood shoulder to shoulder with him to beat back some of the most regressive proposals ever to come up in the Senate. There are some who have been less than stellar in this department such as Landrieu. However, for the most part, they have been the backs he has stood on to firmly hold certain lines.

When the sequester cuts were proposed, Harry Reid had to convince these very skeptical people to back them in order to reach an agreement with the Republicans. It was a bitter pill, but they swallowed it. What happened? Boehner couldn't deliver the votes he promised and the nation got a shut down.

The sequester cuts are still in place and in order to get more unemployment insurance passed, there is a proposal to extend the cuts for a year to pay for it. This will make life even more miserable for not just the unemployed, but for millions who have seen what they do receive cut to the bone. What a bargain.

Did anybody stand in the Senate well and accuse Reid and President Obama of wanting people to be miserable? Did they openly denounce this and level the charge that Reid and Obama wanted to keep the bankers happy even if people starved? They didn't do this because it is a complicated issue that does not lend itself to easy solutions. Accusing Reid and Obama of this would be over the top because they don't want people starving. They wanted the government to continue working and took a path that was one of a number they could have used.

I have no idea exactly why each Democratic Senator wants different language in the agreement, but I don't believe they want war. Everybody yells AIPAC as if that is the only reason.

Do they consider that the moderate Rouhani was the lead negotiator in past talks who drew out the talks as Iran continued on their path towards their nuclear goals? Did they see that there is no deadline for an agreement to be reached and they felt that this gave Iran carte blanche to continue again on their way without any consequences. As the US reaches for an agreement, what else is happening? I think there is a mixture of reasons.

I don't believe that the Senate meddling in foreign affairs is an optimum situation. However, what have Republicans done time after time? They have gone directly to other countries and given who knows what assurances. This is beyond meddling. Some call it treason. I haven't seen them excoriated for 'wanting war' and based on past actions and statements, I do believe they want it.

The Republican senators who are opposing the agreement were not called out. They were given a pass. The Democrats were put on full blast because they had the temerity to stand up on this issue. Are they right? Is the administration?

I have not seen this level of anger over any other issue. Many of them such as cutting the safety net imperil millions of people. There was anger and excoriation but not on this level. The circumspection when dealing with Republicans has been obvious.

This is one of the most extreme measures I have ever seen openly used against members of the same party by it's leader. This is all the more glaring because do you believe it will make them more amenable to stand with the President on other issues? I have heard calls to primary them. Seriously? You will risk turning the Senate over to Republicans because of this one issue and imperil myriads of progressive steps?

Reaching an agreement with Iran is important. Do I believe President Obama should stand down and not make his case forcefully? No. Do I believe these Democratic Senators deserve a pass on opposing him? No. However, I do not believe this move is warranted or productive. Call all of the Senators out with this serious charge of 'wanting war' or don't call any of them out with it. That's the least that could be expected.