50 FP luminaries, like Lugar and Scowcroft, ask Congress to hold off on Iran legislation till June

[karynnj]

I hope this might impact the few remaining Republican moderates. When he was in the Senate, Lugar was able to get many to listen to him.

More than 50 foreign policy luminaries, in a statement on Tuesday, applauded progress made on an nuclear deal with Iran and urged members of Congress to hold off on any legislative action that could affect reaching a final deal by June 30.

"We welcome the announcement that the U.S. government and other major world powers have reached a framework accord to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon," said the statement, published by the Iran Project.

"In view of this hopeful progress, we call on the U.S. Congress to take no action that would impede further progress or undermine the American negotiators’ efforts to complete the final comprehensive agreement on time," the group said.
<snip>
Other signatories of the letter include Graham Allison, Amb. Michael Armacost, former National Security Advisers Samuel R. Berger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Brent Scowcroft, Amb. Nicholas Burns, Brig. Gen. Stephen Cheney (Ret.), Joseph Cirincione, Chester A. Crocker, Amb. Ryan C. Crocker, Suzanne DiMaggio, Amb. James Dobbins, Robert Einhorn, Adm. William J. Fallon (Ret.), Michèle Flournoy, Leslie H. Gelb, Amb. William Harrop, Stephen B. Heintz, Carla A. Hills, James Hoge, former Sen. Nancy L. Kassebaum (R-Kansas), Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney (Ret.), Amb. Daniel C. Kurtzer, former Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Amb. Winston Lord, Amb. William Luers, Jessica T. Mathews, Amb. William G. Miller, Amb. Richard Murphy, Vali Nasr, Joseph Nye, George Perkovich, Amb. Thomas R. Pickering, Paul R. Pillar, Amb. Nicholas Platt, Joe R. Reeder, William A. Reinsch, Amb. J. Stapelton Roy, Barnett Rubin, Gary Samore, Rear Adm. Joe Sestak (Ret.), Gary Sick, former Rep. Jim Slattery (D-Kansas), Anne-Marie Slaughter, Adm. James Stavridis (Ret.), James Walsh, Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson (Ret.), former Sen. Timothy E. Wirth (D-Colo.), Amb. Frank G. Wisner, and Gen. Anthony C. Zinni (Ret.).

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/238094-foreign-policy-luminaries-urge-congress-to-hold-off-on-iran-bills

The quotes from the letter are very strong - both in support of the negotiations and in spelling out the consequences of messing this up

[riversedge]

1. Great to see this. Give peace a chance

[karynnj]

5. I hope this is a sign that the tide is turning on this

There was an article yesterday, where some Democrats that were counted as likely for it, moved to not committed. I would imagine as Obama/Kerry?Moniz et al speak to the Senators and Congressmen, the danger of Congress derailing this will fade.

The fact is that the critics had at least a month head start - led by Netanayahu - before our side could really go full out to counter them with the real details.

This is not to say it won't be a fight. In fact, it may be the fight that DU has really wanted since I first read it. This really is a rejection of the neocon foreign policy. It would be naive to imagine that that could happen without a fight. It was a brave move for Obama (and Kerry, but especially Obama) to take.

In addition to this letter, there is a Kissinger/Shultz letter that is 100% against the deal. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Ex-secretaries-of-state-Kissinger-Shultz-pan-Obamas-Iran-nuclear-deal-396511 (I bet that duo are not happy with the deportation/extradiction of their Central American thugs either)

This will be a fight, but it looks to me that Obama holds the better cards. Given that the details of the plan - which are better than expected, he should gain enough to stop any legislation.

[riversedge]

9. If nothing else, this letter might give those Dems or those siding with War some

cover??

[karynnj]

10. Good point

Though it would be nice if there were some Republicans agreeing with this letter. Given the number of new Republicans in 2010, 2012, and 2014 there are so many that really didn't know a more moderate Republican caucus.

[randome]

2. They've done next to nothing since the start of the year...

...so I'm not sure that telling them to do nothing is necessary. It could have the opposite effect and encourage more GOP underhandedness.

Then again, what are they going to do? Threaten to shut down the government again?
[hr][font color="blue"][center]TECT in the name of the Representative approves of this post.[/center][/font][hr]

[karynnj]

8. They did do more than nothing so far this year

They did invite Netanyahu, who delayed the date by I think 2 weeks to better influence his election. That was last month. The February invitation of Netanyahu actually DELAYED fast tracking Corker/Menendez by angering the Democrats needed to get this past a fillibuster. They agreed to work on it only after the March deadline.

However, they have been out of session for 2 weeks for Easter break. There is a scheduled markup of Corker/Menendez in the SFRC and they expect to pass a bill out of that committee on April 14.

(Here's an article that speaks of Democrats moving against it - http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/238140-senate-dems-waver-on-iran-bill )

I suspect that Obama is trying to do three things:
1) Inform Congress on the details
2) Try to get enough Senators that Corker/Menendez falls to a fillibuster or at least to making it impossible to over ride a veto
3) Inform the American people - and that might be more completely done when (if) the final deal is signed on both sides. (Both sides are spinning now -- just as Russia and the US did on teh Syrian CW agreement - and in the end they came out almost exactly with the Kerry/Lavrov agreement.)

This letter is very helpful as it shows that there are respected Republican foreign policy people on the side of giving the agreement a chance. (One sign that it may be more likely to occur is that more people are claiming credit - not just Hillary Clinton, under whom the outreach started, but even Bush administration people claiming it was their sanctions. Note that the GWB have NOT said it is a good agreement - other than Wilkison (who reported to Powell)

[Faux pas]

3. Kickin'

[Thinkingabout]

4. It is oblivious following Netanyahu's advice got us into a very needless war in Iraq so to follow

his advice again would not be smart. I am hoping cooler heads will prevail and allow peace to happen. Thanks to the great people who has stepped up to the plate to send the letter, I have more confidence in these folks than I ever could in Netanyahu.

[Myrina]

6. Lugar lost the primary to TP Chucklenutz Mourdock ...

... back in 2012 for being 'too liberal' (he was pallin' around with Obama! Gasp!).

The TP clown car is even crazier now than it was then. I doubt anything Lugar suggests would carry much weight with them.

[karynnj]

7. I agree it will not influence Tom Cotton, Cruz and others, but there are many Republicans

who do respect him -- and he and the others give them cover.

The Senate Republicans had no vote in the Indiana Republican primary.