With GOP's Iran Move, Politics Goes Beyond the Water's Edge

[babylonsister]

With GOP's Iran Move, Politics Goes Beyond the Water's Edge
By Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann


We know that the political world is still obsessing over Hillary Clinton's emails -- and it's possible we could hear from Hillary on the subject sooner rather than later -- but there's a more stunning political story this morning. As the United States, western nations, China, and Russia are negotiating with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions, 47 Senate Republicans led by freshman Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) have made an extraordinary -- if not unprecedented -- countermove: They've sent an open letter to Iran to suggest they can undo whatever President Obama's administration agrees to. "First, under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them… Second … President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then—perhaps decades." This is extraordinary, because for a GOP Congress that objects to Obama overstepping his bounds, the president is commander-in-chief and conducts the nation's foreign policy. Just asking, but what countermove is more over the top -- Netanyahu's speech from last week, or this letter trying to scuttle a deal before it even happens? Let's officially retire the phrase that politics stops at the water's edge. Because it just isn't true.

The seven Republicans who didn't sign the letter

By the way, seven GOP senators didn't sign the Cotton letter: Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Bob Corker, Dan Coats, Jeff Flake, Lisa Murkowski, and Thad Cochran. Still, 87% of the Senate GOP caucus signed this letter. It's stunning. And it's a rebuke on an international stage that doesn't really have a precedent. Imagine Democrats micro-managing the START talks in the 80s by sending an open letter to Gorbachev? It just wouldn't have been viewed as an acceptable political move while the talks were still happening.

EDITOR'S NOTE: An earlier version of this article listed Sen. Rob Portman as a Republican who did NOT sign the letter. That was incorrect - he did sign the letter. First Read apologizes for the error.

http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/gops-iran-move-politics-goes-beyond-waters-edge-n319866

[DetlefK]

1. First 9/11, then a black president... The GOP has irredeemably gone bonkers.

[countryjake]

2. kickety