Senator Who Organized Letter To Iran Has Said He Wants To Sabotage Negotiations

[undiegrinder]

47. I'll take a stab here but ...

This is just a neophyte's attempt to answer -- NOT argue against -- the points you made. (And sorry if it's naive, I'm just trying to learn. Any corrections of factual errors gratefully accepted.)

Among the differences I see:

1. The Dems overrode Reagan by initially introducing a sanctions bill in the House (subsequently replaced by the Senate's Lugar bill). IOW, they stayed within both their congressional powers AND America's borders in their efforts to change Reagan's foreign policy.

The Repubs' letter, OTOH, seems like a totally unprecedented and even potentially dangerous "stunt" with two specific purposes: humiliating Obama and trying to create some pretext for America to start yet another totally unnecessary war in the Middle East.

2. The Dems didn't sidestep Reagan by communicating with -- much less issuing stern warnings to -- the South African government.

Yet the Repubs have directly addressed Iran's leadership with claims that seem designed only to complicate the long-ongoing negotiations and even muddling just who the Iranians should be negotiating with.

3. When the Lugar bill passed both House and Senate, Reagan vetoed it and his veto was then overridden by both houses of Congress -- a process characterized at the time as "an unprecedented congressional rebuff of Reagan on a major foreign policy issue."

Contrast that with the Repubs' rather (IMHO) condescending letter ("you may not fully understand our constitutional system"??) which is not merely "unprecedented" but in fact downright dangerous.

They're not only interjecting pointless, pie-in-the-sky problems which, they insist, Iran "should seriously consider as negotiations progress" ...

Far worse, despite the virtual certainty they do NOT know all the details, the Repubs are intentionally complicating some extremely delicate negotiations about an issue with huge and scary global ramifications.

It's hard to believe that doesn't break any laws. How can sacrificing the good of our country -- maybe even the entire world? -- just to try (yet AGAIN) to humiliate a political foe NOT be a CRIME??