The GOP leadership has not yet chosen to lead on the Iran deal, but instead begin digging into odder options. First up, Steve Benen reports on one approach:
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a struggling presidential candidate, has a very different approach in mind: the Republican senator wants to “strip the IAEA, a United Nations agency, of the U.S. portion of its funding.”
Steve references Politico‘s report:
The 2016 long-shot Republican presidential candidate warned Secretary of State John Kerry this week that unless the White House allows lawmakers to review the agreements forged between the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran, he will work to strip the IAEA of U.S. funding.
Politico also reports the US provides around $88 million. I can’t help but wonder if some other nation would step in to cover the funding if Graham were to succeed with his threat.
Meanwhile, the House GOP caucus has displayed a symptom of what happens when an overly rigid structure comes apart – the destruction is bewildering and unpredictable. Matt Fuller @ RollCall reports on the House GOP strategy:
House Freedom Caucus members are poised to demand Wednesday that Republican leaders delay a vote on an Iran disapproval resolution until the White House has revealed all “side deals” with Iran.
And if GOP leaders don’t delay the Iran disapproval resolution, HFC members are discussing voting down the rule for the resolution on Wednesday.
Which I take to mean, breaking with the leadership. Matt further notes,
But the larger issue for members with the Friday vote seems to be the report of “side deals” between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., offered a privileged motion Tuesday for a vote on a resolution that states the House should not act on the Iran nuclear legislation until it receives all “side deals.”
Under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, the president is obligated to send Congress “all related materials and annexes,” and until the president does that, the 60-day clock for a vote on Iran does not start.
So if the GOP House believes materials have been withheld, then the clock hasn’t started. I suppose this has the potential to end up in court. Matt finishes with a curious omission:
Delaying a vote now could simply subject Democrats to a prolonged campaign later to change their position on the Iran deal, or perhaps worse, a long-term GOP campaign that the deal should be nullified. If House Republican leaders want to move forward with a vote on the disapproval resolution, Democratic leaders may be inclined to let them.
A delay could also subject GOP legislators to pressure; or to restate it, present an opportunity to lead, rather than follow the rest of the sheep over the cliff.
Steve Benen also has some commentary here.
The Supreme Leader of Iran isn’t making it easy for the GOP to return to the right side of the tracks, as he once again declares for the death of Israel, as reported by many news outlets. The Times of Israel:
Israel will not survive the next 25 years, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday, making a series of threatening remarks published online.
In a quote posted to Twitter by Khamenei’s official account, Khamenei addresses Israel, saying, “You will not see next 25 years,” and adds that the Jewish state will be hounded until it is destroyed.
The quote comes against a backdrop of a photograph apparently showing the Iranian leader walking on an Israeli flag painted on a sidewalk.
“After negotiations, in Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: Firstly, you will not see next 25 years; God willing, there will be nothing as Zionist regime by next 25 years. Secondly, until then, struggling, heroic and jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists,” the quote from Iran’s top leader reads in broken English.
The quote was apparently taken from a speech given earlier in the day.
I think there’s a couple of interesting facets here.
First, this is a domestic speech, given to a domestic audience which is expecting a bit of red meat. Khamenei, as noted in this Foreign Affairs article, has been around time and his views of the USA are quite hostile, so an anti-West speech, which includes Israel, is no surprise.
Second, while he is the Supreme Leader, he is supervised by the Council of Experts, who can remove him for cause, so he must keep them happy.
Third, he is a bright guy. He has to know that inserting a comment about the death of Israel into the world community at this point will stir the GOP up; so the question becomes, why? What does the leader of Iran see as a gain from a stirred up GOP, United States, and Israel?
