Can the Iranian deal be done even if the rethugs, won't go for it? I really hope so, because both

[still_one]

Sides know that they are dealing with wackos in each respective country, and if this is blocked, I really believe it will lead to a world war


I have such disdain for what the Republican Party and what it has become. This is more than just a stupid game playing for 2016, millions of lives are in the balance

[misterhighwasted]

1. Your fears are valid. I will be looking for an answer as to your question.

Rightfully so, the GOP can never be trusted.
Thanks for your post.

[still_one]

5. I really hope it can be, and I also hope the MSM will not give free reign to republican propaganda

which they have been doing for quite some time

The stakes have never been greater, and we need a responsible press more than ever

[Lochloosa]

2. The repugs have no say in this. It's an agreement not a treaty

A treaty must be ratified by congress. An agreement does not.

[kelly1mm]

4. An Executive Angreement also can be modified/terminated at will by any successor President. nt

[Lochloosa]

6. True.

[still_one]

8. another reason 2016 is even more important

[kelly1mm]

3. From my understanding, the President can enter into executive agreements with other nations

that are binding so long as he is the President. If you want to bind the nation for longer than the term of office of the President you need to have congressional approval (a law passed) or better yet have the agreement be a treaty and have it ratified by the Senate.

So, basically, by not sending this to congress as either a law (like the Iraq war resolution) or as a treaty, the President can only 'bind' the country to this deal so long as he is in office. A successor can withdraw from the agreement at will.

[still_one]

7. That spells it out. I only hope that Collins and a few other republicans will put country before

party, because I don't expect most of the congressional republicans will do so.

[sabrina 1]

11. I do not think a successor can simply opt out of this once it becomes International Law. It would be

extremely difficult to do. Or the US would find itself out of the picture. The other nations are not likely to undo this. And even if the Western allies, France, Germany and the UK were to be pressured into trying to undo it, Russian and China, who have veto power in the Security Council, would probably use it.

So it's a done deal once the Security Council accepts it.

[kelly1mm]

19. That is the theory that the President is going to try and use. However, the US has no problem

'going it alone' on sanctions (for example see Cuba for past 50 years).

[Renew Deal]

31. Maybe, but part of this is revoking sanctions at the UN

And once they are revoked, reinstating them is a matter of a UN vote which will likely fail.

[kelly1mm]

33. The US can and does have unilateral sanctions against countries without UN approval. See Cuba. nt

[Renew Deal]

35. We are a country of 300 million in a world of over 6 billion

A drop in the bucket

[kelly1mm]

37. The US GDP is 16% of the global total, so much more important economically than our popultion

numbers would suggest. Plus we have this bad habit of pressuring other countries to not do business with our 'enemies' by, in effect, limiting their access to US markets if they trade with countries we don't like.

But if it is, as you say, a drop in the bucket, then there should be no problem (economically) with the R's putting sanctions on Iran, right?

[edhopper]

9. It's a multi-nation deal

and the UN will get involved, so even if the Refucks try to block it, most of the sanctions will still be lifted.

[still_one]

13. good, though the rethugs, could isolate us from the rest of the world if God forbid they win the WH

in 2016

[edhopper]

16. No doubt they will

as they have before. And not just over Iran.

[still_one]

17. hopefully, that won't happen

[edhopper]

20. hopefully

is an understatement

[davidn3600]

14. But we are the UN's enforcement arm

If we break the agreement, no one is going to enforce anything against us.

If a GOP wins in 2016 (please don't say it can't happen), they can tear up the deal and our allies will just shrug their shoulders. Several of our allies (ie: Israelis, Saudis, etc) don't like the deal anyway.

[edhopper]

18. Sanctions are a big part of this for Iran

if the rest of the world lifts them, they will do quite well.
All our Multi-National Corporations will do business with them through other countries.

[misterhighwasted]

28. Good to hear it doesn't all depend on the worthless GOP.

Looks more positive.

[sabrina 1]

10. Yes, because this is an International Agreement, involving five other nations. Congress has no

power to undo an International Agreement once it is a done deal.

They THOUGHT they had the power, but the Iranian Foreign Minister instructed Cotton et al on International and Consitutional law (which gives the Executive Branch the power to do this), stating he was 'surprised' that they would send a letter threatening to undo something they have zero power over.

So no, they cannot undo this. They would have to deal with France, Germany, the UK, Russia and China.

Both Russia and China have veto power at the UN. So even if the others caved to our Teabaggers, it is very unlikely that Russian and China would not use that power to keep this in place.

[still_one]

12. As pointed out, they can undo the U.S. participation in it, after President Obama's term by the next

President, unless a treaty is passed, but your point is a good one, it would isolate us from the rest of the world

Vital that a Democrat wins the White House in 2016

[sabrina 1]

15. It doesn't matter who is in the WH, this will be almost written in stone, unless Iran violates

it, which is unlikely.

No doubt we will start hearing the same old 'they are secretly making nukes' etc. But those involved in getting this done have pretty much anticipated the warmongers tactics.

By making it part of the agreement that Iran will allow, as the President stated, unprecedented access to their program, the Bibis/McCains/Cottons of the world will have to work very hard to try to convince the world it is not THEY who are lying. After all they are known world wide for the liars they are.

[still_one]

21. As Cotton pointed out, "Tehran, the capital of Iran, might be controlled by anyone other than Iran".

The republican party has really become the party of STUPID

[sabrina 1]

23. They have no credibility. And as I said, even if they succeeded in pressuring the Western nations

involved in this agreement, which is unlikely, they will not be able to sway China and Russia not to use their veto power.

The world has seen the results of their 'policies' and lies.

The ME is in chaos, the US and its Allies are LESS SAFE than they were before 9/11.

I think this agreement is the result of the FEAR OF THE NEOCONS attempting to do it again, to start yet another war, this time one that would be even MORE disastrous, using OUR troops.

I think the world now fears the Neocons, Cheney et al, MORE than they fear 'terrorists'.

Sometimes a correction is needed, and this appears to be it with the cooperation of the world's most powerful nations, unlikely to ever agree to yet another disastrous, Neocon war.

[Savannahmann]

22. And you think that would matter?

Kyoto. World wide acceptance. US, not so much. No real fallout from failing to adopt the protocols. No real problem for the Republicans. They continue with denial of Climate Change.

World Court.

International Criminal Court

World ban on landmines.

Prohibitions on Human Trafficking.

Shall I continue? I can, easily.

The fact that the United States stands alone in failing to adopt those and many other protocols, treaties, protections, and agreements hasn't harmed us so far. We ignore laws we don't like, internationally, and domestically.

Remember Robert Seldon Lady? CIA Station Chief in Italy, who helped kidnap a man and put him through years of torture under the guise of Rendition? Convicted in absentia in Italy for his participation in the crime of kidnapping an innocent man, Lady was forced to watch his million dollar retirement villa in Italy get seized by the court and handed over to the victim of his abuse. An international warrant for his arrest and extradition to Italy is in the system. It's in INTERPOL. Lady was caught in Panama, held for about twenty four hours because of that Warrant, and then the CIA whisked him away to safety.

So international extradition treaties are ignored, because we don't like them.

So the idea that if a Republican is elected, and he walks away, that the World will view us poorly is laughable. Because concern about what the world thinks isn't doing a damned thing to make us obey any laws, agreements, or standards of behavior, and probably never will. We are apparently too arrogant to be bothered with such mundane minutia.

How about the President of Bolivia's plane being forced to land due to US pressure during the search for Snowden? Meh, who cares if some tin pot self proclaimed President of some banana republic is forced to endure things that would have had our nation scrambling squadrons of nuclear weapon armed bombers. What are they going to do, declare war on us? We're so big and powerful that no one dare oppose us.

So the idea that world opinion would some how motivate the Republicans, when it doesn't motivate the far more receptive Democrats is not just laughable, it is insulting.

[sabrina 1]

24. They will have to get past five powerful nations, AND Iran to try to undo this.

Two of those nations, China and Russia, have veto power in the Security Council and will never allow one country to undo an agreement they have all worked so hard to achieve.

This isn't 2002 anymore. 9/11 isn't a rallying cry for war. The world is appalled at the lies and the tragedies that have resulted in allowing them to override the Security Council and simply go to war without waiting for the Security Council.

They have lost all credibility and while WE may not care about over one MILLION DEAD PEOPLE, the rest of the world does.

They WILL try, but this is 2015 and 9/11 won't help them anymore.

[davidn3600]

25. We can tear it up on our own....

Unless this is a treaty ratified by 2/3rds of the Senate, the next president can burn it. Sorry to say that Cotton is correct on that point.

Yes...that would violate the United Nations. It would make us look like complete shit. But who's going to hold us accountable? We have veto power in the UN. So the UN can't do anything against us. And no one is going to start a war with us over Iran. A few of our allies like may even cheer if we rip it up.

No one is more powerful than us to hold us to our word. That's the reality of being the world's only superpower. Countries break agreements all the time all throughout history. Nothing is ever written in stone.

[kelly1mm]

34. The US can and does have unilateral sanctions against countries without UN approval. See Cuba. nt

[misterhighwasted]

29. So much is at stake in 2016.

Serious direction for the US & the world.

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

26. TeaParTY people are dumb, immature, children. That they have some power here is absolutely

frightening.

A world war is likely if we cant control them.

[misterhighwasted]

32. [phone]. ^THIS^

They are children & their method is getting redundant.

[Agnosticsherbet]

27. Ultimately, the Senate has the right to approve or disaprove.

Presidents have upheld treaties before that the Senate did not like.

And what it will mean is that we need to elect a Democatic majority to the Senate.

[Renew Deal]

36. This is not a treaty

[Agnosticsherbet]

38. Good

[onecaliberal]

30. Depends on the republicans.

If they will wait until June 30 for negotiators to do their jobs. I think they would need dems to go along with them to vote for more sanctions though.
It's clear the republicans just want more war. I think they should be packed up along with every family member and shipped to the front of the war with ISIS.

[Agnosticsherbet]

39. I think that Republicans hope to deny Obama a big win in his legacy.

This is as big as Nixon's Visit to China and its recognition. Like the ACA, it will be a part of Obama's legacy. Because there are six other nations tha are very close allies, the next president can not just withdraw wtihout pianful repricussions to our international clout.

It also is a monumental loss for Republicans in Congress who have gone historic lenghts to stop it.

[Renew Deal]

40. Republicans know their grandchildren will be going to Barack Obama High School

[onecaliberal]

41. This is a major win for the Obama administration

And the people of the world.

Republicans will poo poo this deal at their own risk. It's very bad optics but the. Again everything they do is bad. They don't seem to give a rats ass.