Sit Down, and Shut Up

That’s President Barack Obama to Congress on his “negotiations” with Iran concerning the latter’s nuclear weapons program.

President Obama’s chief of staff Dennis McDonough told Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker in a letter that legislation sponsored by Corker would go beyond ensuring a role for Congress in a deal with Iran.

“Instead, the legislation would potentially prevent any deal from succeeding by suggesting that Congress must vote to ‘approve’ any deal,” McDonough said. He criticized a provision that would eliminate Obama’s authority to lift some sanctions on Iran as part of any agreement.

Never mind that that’s the point of Congressional oversight, and of the separate Constitutional obligation of the Senate to agree (by supermajority, mind you) to a treaty—that whole by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate bit.

That’s why Obama is working on his finally admitted-to Executive Agreement: that does not require Senate approval (and as a result, it’s wholly unbinding on anything or anyone). It can have no effect on the Iranian drive to obtain nuclear weapons.

Never mind, too, that the legislation under consideration would strengthen Obama’s hand in those negotiations. A strengthening he apparently does not want.

So: sit down, and shut up, Republican Congress. Your Betters are speaking.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *