U.S. Senate GOP throws USA under bus and aligns with Iran

A very valid point.

Hilary Clinton criticized the Bush administration for using private emails, Obama criticized Bush for adding debt, even calling him Unpatriotic, etc.

When it comes to hypocrisy, neither side will ever run out.

 

Except of course that that has never happened.

Oops! fchowd0311 beat me to it

 

I fully concede that the Republican party has taken the political show to a whole new level.

Before you go and get all self righteous though about the Democrats, keep in mind that the Democrats have never been in the Republican situation in the media age we are in now.

I will be curious to see what the Democrats do the next time (if there is a next time) that a conservative president is battling with an ultra liberal Congress.

 

I would be ashamed and disgusted at Democrats if they acted the way republicans are acting now.

 

Go ahead and explain it. I'm willful to listen and admit wrong.

 

I will sum it up for him.

Obama is incompetent. Obama should have worked with republicans but his incompetence ruined everything.

 

Maybe so but it really wasn't that long ago when this type of situation existed. Remember Democrats took the House and Senate in 2007 and there was a major foreign policy issue that popped up almost immediately.

If you remember, Iraq was going horribly and the Bush administration proposed "the surge" among other things to combat this. Democrats had just won on an anti-Iraq agenda and could have totally torpedoed the thing and even gone as far as doing something as stupid as sending a letter to the Iraqi government with some sort of vague threat.

There is a concept that started with the British parliament of the loyal opposition. The opposition to the ruling government in a parliamentary system is cast with the role of providing a check on the ruling government and specifically questioning the policies of the ruling coalition. But the loyal part still matters. You dont go around undermining foreign policy or breaching protocol to advance a political agenda. By all means question the president and his policy choices. But dont go around trying to sabotage him at every turn. This stuff is unprecedented and we need to stop making excuses for the Republicans. They're behaving like children and they should be called out for it.

 

Here's an interesting article I found from a 2008 when Bush made an executive agreement with Iraq that defined our exit timetable, and how congress complained that he was excluding them: http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/treaties_and_executive_agreements/. The article also has some interesting history about how common executive agreements have become and where from a legal point of view it appropriate to have this sort of agreement.

Where Obama's deal with Iran becomes controversial is only insofar as he is empowered to unilaterally lever sanctions passed by congress under his authority to (a) conduct foreign policy, and/or (b) faithfully execute the law. I'm in his corner in that I think he's taking the right course of action in our relationship with Iran. But, I have to do more reading to figure out whether I think he really should be so empowered. He really is pushing the envelope in interpreting his latitude in executing legislation.

Of course, two wrongs don't make a right. And, I don't think I have to do any more reading to figure out that the Senators here did something wrong. If these executive actions are really an abuse of power, impeach the president. Don't go messing in foreign affairs.

And yet the outcome is so predictable.

 

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2015/03/sen_tom_cotton_s_letter_to_iran_is_plainly_stupid_the_arkansas_freshman.html

 

The last opportunity Democrats had to do this was back in the dark ages of the 00s.

 

What say you bobbytheexpert?

 

That it's an open letter suggests to me it's aimed at the American voting public and not Iran at all.

 

He ought to, they elected him.

 

If you don't think things have changed SERIOUSLY since the Bush Administration in terms of media, social media, etc. then you are crazy.

 

Why do you think that matter to whether or not the Senate sent an open letter?

Open letter doesn't depend on those things... but maybe I'm missing your point..?

 

That's what bobby would like to think but the truth is that Potus has done more than most thought he would.

 

*snort*

Obama has been a complete failure.

Your point might stand, however, since nobody thought he would actually do anything.

 

No one within the GOP thought he would.

 

Every time texxie posts this I just giggle