Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Galraedia

(5,022 posts)
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:38 PM Mar 2015

47 Republicans May Have Just Broken the Law By Writing An Outrageous Letter To Iran

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Raine1967 (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Last edited Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:13 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: The Daily Banter

Just when you thought congressional Republicans couldn’t look any more like a troupe of treacherous clowns hellbent on circus-ifying anything President Obama tries to do, they pull another bag of tricks from the trunk of their tiny car.

On Monday, 47 Republican senators signed an open letter addressed to the “Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran” on U.S. Senate letterhead. The correspondence basically indicated that Iran’s ongoing negotiations on its nuclear program with the Obama administration are an all but futile endeavor. The weirdest thing about the letter — other than the fact that it was written in the first place — is that it doesn’t address anything specific regarding Iran’s nuclear program. It advances no alternative proposals, it elucidates no conditions under which the GOP would assent to a deal of any kind, and thus, it offers no hope of resolving one of the biggest U.S. foreign policy challenges of the last 35 years.

You’d think considering the letter is official correspondence from Senate Republicans, it would’ve addressed specific leaders within the Iranian government such as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, President Hassan Rouhani, or the members of the Guardian Council, but it does not. Regardless, the letter is unlike anything seen in recent memory. Not only does it explicitly attempt to undermine negotiations between the U.S. and Iran concerning the latter’s nuclear program, it’s written in an unbelievably condescending tone:



Read more: http://thedailybanter.com/2015/03/how-not-to-do-diplomacy/

30 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
47 Republicans May Have Just Broken the Law By Writing An Outrageous Letter To Iran (Original Post) Galraedia Mar 2015 OP
i wonder if they'll be charged with anything? samsingh Mar 2015 #1
Logan Act violation? sakabatou Mar 2015 #3
Logan Act looks pretty unconstitutional to me. MNBrewer Mar 2015 #25
Hell will freeze over first, and that's not likely with climate change. nt valerief Mar 2015 #4
Democrats Fault billhicks76 Mar 2015 #28
All 47 are a disgrace, if I could arrest them myself I would NoJusticeNoPeace Mar 2015 #2
A treacherous unconstitutional act by the GOP vkkv Mar 2015 #5
Look up treason and unconstitutional MNBrewer Mar 2015 #26
IOKIYAR applies at all time. Of course nothing will happen! Demeter Mar 2015 #6
You aren't kidding. n/t xocet Mar 2015 #12
OK - this is getting scary KT2000 Mar 2015 #7
Republicans to Iran: IOW this means war! Cosmic Kitten Mar 2015 #8
According to CNN this is simply what Congress does.....that it borders on sedition remains unasked. Fred Sanders Mar 2015 #9
So what are the names of the jamzrockz Mar 2015 #10
don't upsat the applecart! Backwoodsrider Mar 2015 #11
I hope you're right...and that they do get what's coming to them... First Speaker Mar 2015 #15
Someone official needs to call this near "sedition" - and make the 47 accused seditionists deny it. Fred Sanders Mar 2015 #13
It's OK for them to do but it would never be OK for us to do... SoapBox Mar 2015 #14
This sounds like a job for...... DeSwiss Mar 2015 #16
How would this compare to the "Dear Comandante" letter? Elmergantry Mar 2015 #17
Call the cops The Jungle 1 Mar 2015 #18
In doing so they've identified where the problem lies with America. Gregorian Mar 2015 #19
And how many will be arrested? tclambert Mar 2015 #20
My hope is that these clowns either yuiyoshida Mar 2015 #21
Petition to charge them with violating the Logan Act. Skidmore Mar 2015 #22
Dont Bother Elmergantry Mar 2015 #24
We need to bother, and there is no time better than now. Skidmore Mar 2015 #29
That's got to be the last straw...... paleotn Mar 2015 #23
Iran Responds to GOP Letter Galraedia Mar 2015 #27
Locking: This is analysis and not LBN. Raine1967 Mar 2015 #30

samsingh

(17,595 posts)
1. i wonder if they'll be charged with anything?
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:39 PM
Mar 2015

sakabatou

(42,148 posts)
3. Logan Act violation?
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:46 PM
Mar 2015

MNBrewer

(8,462 posts)
25. Logan Act looks pretty unconstitutional to me.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:11 PM
Mar 2015

valerief

(53,235 posts)
4. Hell will freeze over first, and that's not likely with climate change. nt
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:51 PM
Mar 2015
 

billhicks76

(5,082 posts)
28. Democrats Fault
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:21 PM
Mar 2015

For wimping out. This crap is oddly similar to the 1980 hostage crisis politics. Maybe we wouldn't be here talking about this and may have not entered wars in the Middle East if Democrats would've gotten to the truth about Bush Sr negotiating with Iran in 1979 to keep the hostages imprisoned until after Reagan won the election.

NoJusticeNoPeace

(5,018 posts)
2. All 47 are a disgrace, if I could arrest them myself I would
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:39 PM
Mar 2015
 

vkkv

(3,384 posts)
5. A treacherous unconstitutional act by the GOP
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:52 PM
Mar 2015

They should go to jail for breaking the law and then resign for not knowing the Constitution of the U.S.

MNBrewer

(8,462 posts)
26. Look up treason and unconstitutional
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:11 PM
Mar 2015
 

Demeter

(85,373 posts)
6. IOKIYAR applies at all time. Of course nothing will happen!
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:56 PM
Mar 2015

xocet

(3,871 posts)
12. You aren't kidding. n/t
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:18 PM
Mar 2015

KT2000

(20,576 posts)
7. OK - this is getting scary
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:56 PM
Mar 2015

They have no respect for the law. They have gone nuts with their hatred of President Obama. There is no bottom for these fools.

Cosmic Kitten

(3,498 posts)
8. Republicans to Iran: IOW this means war!
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:56 PM
Mar 2015

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
9. According to CNN this is simply what Congress does.....that it borders on sedition remains unasked.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 06:59 PM
Mar 2015
 

jamzrockz

(1,333 posts)
10. So what are the names of the
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:07 PM
Mar 2015

repub who didn't sign this letter.

Backwoodsrider

(764 posts)
11. don't upsat the applecart!
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:14 PM
Mar 2015

Doubt they just typed it up and sent this letter, they had to ask at least 40 other congresspeople if they would sign it so am sure this action was cleared with the shot callers in the GOP. Remember Iran has been our sworn enemy (cash cow) for years and we have paid billions to the defense industry to protect us from those darn Iranians. The problem is Obama and Kerry and some others in the democratic party are looking at the Iranian issue from a world perspective and trying to bring some peace to the middle east and that is not what those that make money from demonizing Iran want.

I have faith the universe knows what its doing and these greedy politicians will get whats coming so I am getting some popcorn going to watch house this plays out

First Speaker

(4,858 posts)
15. I hope you're right...and that they do get what's coming to them...
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:43 PM
Mar 2015

...but we've seen GOP madness run riot for years without any real consequences for them, so who knows...:-/...and welcome to DU!

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)
13. Someone official needs to call this near "sedition" - and make the 47 accused seditionists deny it.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:19 PM
Mar 2015

SoapBox

(18,791 posts)
14. It's OK for them to do but it would never be OK for us to do...
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:35 PM
Mar 2015

Pukers would ship us off to GITMO.

 

DeSwiss

(27,137 posts)
16. This sounds like a job for......
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:43 PM
Mar 2015
''Look, up in the sky!''

''It's a bird!''

''No, it's a plane!''

''It's.....''

- If we can have one for giving blowjobs on government property, then we can have one for this......

K&R
 

Elmergantry

(884 posts)
17. How would this compare to the "Dear Comandante" letter?
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:45 PM
Mar 2015

Cant find out as am unable to find its content. Anybody have a link?

 

The Jungle 1

(4,552 posts)
18. Call the cops
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:47 PM
Mar 2015

I want all 47 arrested for treason.
This is a clear violation of the Logan act.

Let them be judged by a jury.

Gregorian

(23,867 posts)
19. In doing so they've identified where the problem lies with America.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:52 PM
Mar 2015

They put it right out in public. Very sick people.

tclambert

(11,085 posts)
20. And how many will be arrested?
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:55 PM
Mar 2015

I know I'm geing silly, expecting people to get arrested for breaking the law.

yuiyoshida

(41,831 posts)
21. My hope is that these clowns either
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:57 PM
Mar 2015

are heavily fined or get Jailtime (or both) but its not going to happen. These guys could murder someone in cold blood on national TV and still get away with it.

 

Elmergantry

(884 posts)
24. Dont Bother
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:09 PM
Mar 2015

The Logan Act has been violated by both parties since forever. Nothing will become of it as both sides would like to keep doing it.

Skidmore

(37,364 posts)
29. We need to bother, and there is no time better than now.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:26 PM
Mar 2015

paleotn

(17,911 posts)
23. That's got to be the last straw......
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:08 PM
Mar 2015

Obama has got to take gloves off with these wankers. I can't even imagine the amount of political hay that can be made out of this idiotic letter if only Obama will take full advantage of it.

Galraedia

(5,022 posts)
27. Iran Responds to GOP Letter
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:17 PM
Mar 2015

Asked about the open letter of 47 US Senators to Iranian leaders, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Dr. Javad Zarif, responded that “in our view, this letter has no legal value and is mostly a propaganda ploy. It is very interesting that while negotiations are still in progress and while no agreement has been reached, some political pressure groups are so afraid even of the prospect of an agreement that they resort to unconventional methods, unprecedented in diplomatic history. This indicates that like Netanyahu, who considers peace as an existential threat, some are opposed to any agreement, regardless of its content.”

Zarif expressed astonishment that some members of US Congress find it appropriate to write to leaders of another country against their own President and administration. He pointed out that from reading the open letter, it seems that the authors not only do not understand international law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy.

Source: http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2015/mar/09/part-ii-iran-responds-gop-letter

Raine1967

(11,589 posts)
30. Locking: This is analysis and not LBN.
Mon Mar 9, 2015, 08:27 PM
Mar 2015

Please consider posting in GD. There are a few threads regarding this very topic there.

Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»47 Republicans May Have J...