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Obama tells Americans it is ‘abrogation of my constitutional duty’ to defer to Israel on Iran Deal

President Obama just gave his strongest speech yet in support of the Iran deal. At the end, he called on the public to call up your representatives and tell them what kind of America we want to be. And he both honored the role of the Israel lobby in our politics and then defied it.

Don’t succumb to “political concerns,” he told the Congress, in implicit reference to the power of the Israel lobby, the millions marshaled by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC. And he boldly defined an American national interest that is different from the Israeli one. Israel is the only country in the world that is against this deal, he said. Europe and the Security Council are behind it all the way. And while Benjamin Netanyahu is completely “sincere” in his opposition, Obama said, “As president of the United States, it would be an abrogation of my constitutional duty” to defer to Israel’s wishes on this matter.

When has the president stated before that the Israel lobby wants him to abrogate his constitutional duties? He has done so now, and let that word go forth.

In his speech at American University this afternoon, Obama was most forceful in his denunciation of the “mindset” that got us into the Iraq war, a mindset that believes in unilateral action, that exaggerates threats, and whose advocates mislead Americans about the costs of war.

Over and over again he stated the costs of the Iraq war, materially and in human suffering, even referring to the great numbers of Iraqis who died for our folly.

And the costs of war in our country are borne by the less than “1 percent,” Obama said movingly– those in uniform. While those who make the decision to go to war do not suffer the personal consequences.

He made clear that absent the deal there is no other path than a path to war, ultimately. Absent a deal, Iran will continue to develop its nuclear program, and there will soon be calls for military strikes. The very same people who are advising this route are the ones who pushed for the Iraq war.

“The same mindset, in many cases offered by the same people who seem to have no compunction about being repeatedly wrong, led to a war” that did more to strengthen Iran than anything else.

That mindset, he said, is “out of step with American traditions of foreign policy.”

He cited Reagan and Kennedy here, and called on American idealism in a global age. We are “one nation among many,” he advised. And our diplomatic credibility is at stake if we cannot pass the Iran deal.

Chris Matthews said after the speech on MSNBC that Obama is trying to expand the electorate, to those who do not see Israel’s interest as ours. This is the heroic part of the speech: Obama is taking on the lobby directly. The Forward complained earlier this week that he was dog-whistling about Jews wanting wars. He’s not saying that. He’s saying that only Israel and the lobby and the Republicans support this warmongering mindset; and it is damaging our country.

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Finally.

Hallelujah.

“President Obama Remarks on the Iran Nuclear Deal”

video here: http://www.c-span.org/video/?327464-2/president-obama-remarks-iran-nuclear-agreement

“Obama said, “As president of the United States, it would be an abrogation of my constitutional duty” to defer to Israel’s wishes on this matter.”

Too bad that so many members of Congress (including Israel, Deutch, and Lowey) can’t say the same.

Thanks, Phil.

OMGosh, is this some kind of satire? This is the speech I have been waiting to hear for years.

This will be the first time I have heard an American politician refer to the suffering of the Iraqi people, something that no one addressed, referred to, or showed remorse for. We know that thousands died for what he called “our folly”, but their lives seemed to be of no consequence to anyone in our government, nor in the media. I am very impressed that he was able to call on Israel (and it’s lobby) for their BS. This is strong criticism for Israel’s negativity about the Iran deal, and bring attention to the fact that it is the ONLY nation that is against it. Even the Saudis have show some signs of adjusting to it. Israel has been shown to be the only nation wrong about the deal, and that they were wrong about Iraq too.

He has obviously opened himself to criticism from spineless pro Israeli elements, who foolishly have tied themselves to a nation that has shown it cannot work with the rest of the world.
If they had any sense, they would not bet against the world.

I wish I could have heard this speech, and anyone who can link it, thank you.

.
i hope congress heard him loud and clear
.
though they might not personally visit other parts of The Middle East they sure do need to consider what is going on on the other side of the wall
the internet has plenty to offer there
.
G-d Bless

Finally a two state solution. A separation between the USA and Israel. Wait…..what is that …..the fat lady is singing !!!!!!!

Thanks, Phil. Here is one minor nuanced clarification. You write

He made clear that absent the deal there is no other path than a path to war, ultimately. Absent a deal, Iran will continue to develop its nuclear weapon, and there will soon be calls for military strikes.

Here is the actual quote from the transcript:

Congressional rejection of this deal leaves any U.S. administration that is absolutely committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon with one option, another war in the Middle East. I say this not to be provocative, I am stating a fact. Without this deal, Iran will be in a position, however tough our rhetoric may be, to steadily advance its capabilities. Its breakout time, which is already fairly small, could shrink to near zero. Does anyone really doubt that the same voices now raised against this deal will be demanding that whoever is president bomb those nuclear facilities? And as someone who does firmly believe that Iran must not get a nuclear weapon and who has wrestled with this issue since the beginning of my presidency, I can tell you that alternatives to military actions will have been exhausted once we reject a hard-won diplomatic solution that the world almost unanimously supports.

I don’t think Obama means to imply that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. But rather that its nuclear program that was developed for energy is sufficiently advanced that it has a decreasing breakout time if Tehran were ever to choose to produce weapons.