The Senate Rube-publican letter to Iran reminding them of the American treaty process of Senate advise and consent was shameless grandstanding. (The idea that it was a deterrent to Iran is fanciful; the Iranians are not surprised by this information and will get what they want.) The argument that diplomacy by executive decree is a crazy and unstable way to create treaties is seriously legitimate but this is not the way to make the point. Obama's position that this is not a treaty was more worrisome than anything as it raises questions as to what it really is and what these people are doing.
That said, national politics and politicians have been wanting in the integrity field for a while now. Importantly, this is bipartisan, perhaps the only area of bipartisanship we can find. Here is a collection of some Democrat indiscretions recently appearing in IBD:
In 1983, Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy sent a letter through another Democrat, California Sen. John Tunney, to Soviet dictator and former KGB Yuri Andropov, seeking to undercut President Reagan in the interest of "world peace." Kennedy also consorted with the communist regime of Chile and had been known to have Cuban ties.
In 1983, U.S. troops invaded Grenada, overran its Cuban installations and found Berkeley Democratic Rep. Ron Dellums' name all over their documents, advising the Cubans how to thwart President Reagan.
In 1985, then-freshman Sen. John Kerry flew down to Managua, Nicaragua, home of the Marxist Sandinistas and their Cuban-inspired government. He wanted to cut a deal with them at a time when the U.S. opposed their position on democracy and human rights. Just days after Kerry cut his deal, Sandinista leaders jetted off to Moscow to forge an alliance. The Americans at the time were actively supporting the Sandinista opposition, the Contras.
In 2002, Democratic Representatives David Bonior, Jim McDermott and Mike Thompson flew to Baghdad on Iraq's dime to meet with dictator Saddam Hussein. They returned to spout Saddam's propaganda that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that President Bush would lead us to war "over a lie." Questioned on ABC's "This Week" about Iraq's failed inspections, McDermott said: "I think you have to take the Iraqis on their face value."
In 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ignoring White House wishes, wore an Islamic veil to meet Syria's brutal dictator Bashar Assad and try to cut her own deal with the dictator, about the same time Vogue was doing gushy photo spreads of Assad's wife.
In 2008, information from a captured FARC narcoterrorist computer found that Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern sought through an aide to help the terrorists undercut and neutralize the Colombian government, the U.S.' top ally in Latin America, which was then fighting the terrorists — and winning.
In 1983, U.S. troops invaded Grenada, overran its Cuban installations and found Berkeley Democratic Rep. Ron Dellums' name all over their documents, advising the Cubans how to thwart President Reagan.
In 1985, then-freshman Sen. John Kerry flew down to Managua, Nicaragua, home of the Marxist Sandinistas and their Cuban-inspired government. He wanted to cut a deal with them at a time when the U.S. opposed their position on democracy and human rights. Just days after Kerry cut his deal, Sandinista leaders jetted off to Moscow to forge an alliance. The Americans at the time were actively supporting the Sandinista opposition, the Contras.
In 2002, Democratic Representatives David Bonior, Jim McDermott and Mike Thompson flew to Baghdad on Iraq's dime to meet with dictator Saddam Hussein. They returned to spout Saddam's propaganda that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and that President Bush would lead us to war "over a lie." Questioned on ABC's "This Week" about Iraq's failed inspections, McDermott said: "I think you have to take the Iraqis on their face value."
In 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, ignoring White House wishes, wore an Islamic veil to meet Syria's brutal dictator Bashar Assad and try to cut her own deal with the dictator, about the same time Vogue was doing gushy photo spreads of Assad's wife.
In 2008, information from a captured FARC narcoterrorist computer found that Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern sought through an aide to help the terrorists undercut and neutralize the Colombian government, the U.S.' top ally in Latin America, which was then fighting the terrorists — and winning.
This, again, is bipartisan and will remain so until honesty, integrity and some agreed upon standards emerge in the nation's leadership. Until then, keep investing in the Lobby Index.
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