Natanyahu lobbies the US Congress - The USG should lobby the Knesset.

"...  said he would press American lawmakers not to give Tehran "a free path to the bomb."

Netanyahu said he has spoken with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress - nearly two thirds of House of Representatives members and a similar number in the U.S. Senate - about the Iran nuclear issue.

The Israeli prime minister has been strongly critical of the  framework agreement struck on Thursday between world powers and Iran, saying it threatens the survival of Israel.

In appearances on U.S. television on Sunday, Netanyahu did not repeat his assertion on Friday that any final agreement should include a commitment by Iran recognizing Israel's right to exist.

"This is not a partisan issue. This is not solely an Israeli issue," Netanyahu said of the interim nuclear agreement, speaking on CNN's "State of the Union" program.

"This is a world issue because everyone is going to be threatened by the pre-eminent terrorist state of our time, keeping the infrastructure to produce not one nuclear bomb but many, many nuclear bombs down the line."

Appearing on CNN, Senator Dianne Feinstein, a leading Democratic voice on foreign affairs, said she did not believe the agreement threatened Israel, and had harsh words for Netanyahu.

"I don't think it's helpful for Israel to come out and oppose this one opportunity to change a major dynamic which is downhill, a downhill dynamic in this part of the world," said Feinstein.  Reuters

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Reciprocity is a well established principle in international affairs and diplomacy.  The US government has many issues involving Israel that can be made subject to US lobbying pressure with members of the Knesset and with the Israeli general public as Natanyahu did today in the US. 

"Payback is a bitch" is an American military expression.  "Whatever goes around, comes around" is another.

Let us treat this blatant interference by the Israeli PM in our political process as an indication of the way ahead.  pl 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/05/us-iran-nuclear-usa-idUSKBN0MW0HJ20150405

Comments

[r whitman]

I have serious doubts about Netanyahu's sanity. Do we have any "psych" professionals commenting on this blog??

[oofda]

Excellent idea- and get the other P5 members to do the same. Bibi - and a lot of U.S. pols- don't recognize that this was a multi-national negotiation. It was not just the U.S. and Iran.

[Jack]

While it's bad for a foreign government to brazenly lobby our Congress and government to take actions against our national interests, it is even worse that our representatives in the House and Senate are willing to be influenced for political reasons by a foreign country, for a few shekels in campaign contributions. Yet we re-elect these sellouts.

[Swami Bhut Jolokia]

What Mr Netahyahu does not explain when he says Iran's nuclear program "...is a world issue..." is why a powerful part of the world, manifested in the governments of the P5+1, has agreed to a framework for finalizing an arrangement.

While I like the idea of payback, I think we should stay out of the domestic politics of any country.

[turcopolier]

oofda

There are actually a lot of things we could do in a punitive way; lack of support at UN ad other international bodies, we can let nature take its course at the ICC, requiring AIPAC to register as a foreign lobby, stop giving them intelligence, etc. pl

[Bobo]

Definition of a Flea: any of the order Siphonaptera comprising wingless bloodsucking insects that have a hard laterally compressed body and legs adapted to leaping and that feed on warm-blooded animals—

While this is a bit crass this is the best definition of Bibi presently available. My apologies to anyone offended. His constant interference in our political process is alienating the people who elect the representatives in Congress. The American people are not dumb and the Israeli people are not dumb. Bibi is in for a wake up call-big time.

The framework of the potential deal with Iran is much more than expected and should set the Republican Conservatives back on their heels as there is hope that American blood will not be spilled in that country.

[different clue]

Bobo,

At the risk of repeating past comments, I will say that if a good-real agreement is reached and accepted by all executive branches of all governments concerned, then the Dem Party could run candidates based on supporting the agreement after Obama's term. They could make it a referendum on the agreement.
That would depend on which Democratic nominee-wannabe can slash and hack his/her way to victory at the Convention. And that would depend in part on what people care to support through the primaries. How much support might a candidate Webb get through the primaries if he ran a "born fighting" sort of campaign?

[Imagine]

I am still looking for a potential Saddam-in-Kuwait / Georgia invasion moment, after Bibi's green-lights from both Congress and the Israeli population. The Americans were dumb enough to fall for Iraq under Cheney, and they're dumb enough to already want to bomb Iran. Only Obama, Kerry, and Feinstein are doing what it takes to push peace through now, against the wishes of most of Congress. Bibi has nuke-armed cruise missile subs off Iran, presumably non-nuke thermos as well; does not need to fly sorties. Do not underestimate him. If he pulled the trigger, what would anyone do?. There is a reason why hate-filled right-wing military theocracies are watched with mistrust. Remember the scorpion and the frog crossing the river.

[MRW]

I say let the asshole continue to dig his grave. He certainly is no ambassador for the vaunted smarts of Jews. He's an idiot. And a cruel one.

[Ishmael Zechariah]

Imagine,

There are no "non-nuke thermos" (thermonuclear devices) at this time.

Ishmael Zechariah

P.s: IMO attacking Iran with either nuclear or thermonuclear devices would not be good for the Jews, all the bullshit about "Amalek" notwithstanding.

[The Beaver]

@ Imagine

Have you seen this :
"Israel was also concerned, because control of Yemen could cut off Israel’s access to the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and prevent its submarines from easily deploying to the Persian Gulf to threaten Iran. This is why control of Yemen was actually one of Netanyahu’s talking points on Capitol Hill when he spoke to the US Congress about Iran on March 3 in what the New York Times of all publications billed as «Mr. Netanyahu’s Unconvincing Speech to Congress» on March 4."

http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-geopolitics-behind-the-war-in-yemen-the-start-of-a-new-front-against-iran/5439431

[oofda]

And demand that Israel announce its own nuclear weapons program and join the NPT. Ironic that Iran is a member of the NPT, but Israel isn't.

[Matthew]

MRW: Have a little sympathy for the AIPAC'ers, the JINSA'ers, the AEI'er, the pseudo-journalists, and the alphabet soup of "think tanks" who have raised millions over the last decade based on getting an Iran war. Hell hath no fury like a donor scorned.

[Matthew]

oofda: The information war is upon us. See http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4644691,00.html

A few years ago, I sat through a presentation by Vali Nasr, who was affiliated at the time with the Naval War College. He said Iran was using their nuclear program as leverage to get normalization with the West. The article I've attached shows that we "defeated" the Iranian program in exchange for pending sanctions relief.

So, in Washington argot, "Who won?"

If you believe that the Iranians really wanted to build a nuclear weapon, we won.

If you believe (as I do) that the Iranians wanted to rejoin the international community, and were willing to trade their essentially bluff "nuclear weapons program" for normalization, then Iran won.

Ironically, if we accept both as true, then we both won. Thank God.

[confusedponderer]

The concerted propaganda effort by Israel's American surrogates is in full swing, with the usual rancour and efficiency:

One of MEMRI's latest is titled "Iranian Regime Continues Its Lies And Fabrications About Supreme Leader Khamenei's Nonexistent Fatwa Banning Nuclear Weapons", another one reads: "Board Director Of Hizbullah-Affiliated Daily On Joint Statement By Iran, World Powers: 'The West Has Capitulated!'" As usual, they provide worst possible translation of a given text to make sure that all you need to know, as far as they are concerned, is right there in the headline.

CUFI likewise riles up their faithful, and kindly provides them with talking points: "CUFI Talking Points: Obama's Dangerous Iran Framework‏", writing that the US capitulated, that the deal sucks because Iran retains its nuclear infrsastructure (which they are entitled to unde the NPT) and because Iran lies anyway, adding that sanctions relief will only empower them.

But here it is for you to read in all its hyperbolic bombast.

"Yesterday, President Obama announced with great pride that he has reached an agreement with Iran on the framework for a nuclear deal. The details of this framework agreement are still unclear. ... But we already know enough to know that nothing about this agreement is good news.

... the U.S. has capitulated to Iran’s core demand that it retain all of its nuclear infrastructure.

The only alleged benefit from this deal is Iran’s commitment not to use this infrastructure ... But pledges from Iran are entirely worthless ... Iran has cheated and lied about its nuclear program ...

Finally, this deal appears to provide accelerated sanctions relief to Iran. If this is true, we will lose all of our leverage over Iran early in this process. And Iran will quickly reap the vast cash infusion that has motivated it to participate. A newly flush Iran will soon have more resources than ever to invest in its aggression in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and beyond. ..."

Yes, the Iranians are coming, they're coming, HE is coming, HE'S COMING ...!

[Nancy K]

It amazes me that we re-elect them also. I feel that most members of congress, not all but most, should just place a red light outside of their door, because they are all for sale. Actually I apologize to members of the oldest profession.