It is unconscionable how American foreign policy goals and values are once again pawned off to the interests of the Israeli and Saudi lobbies and their corrupt American politicians bought and paid for by special interests groups and their lavish funding. This will only end when we make sure that these politicians from Trump to Sen. Tom Cotton pay a heavy price.
2
We should ask all nations to ban the manufacture, sale, possession and use of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. We humans are too violent and selfish to have such weapons.
And if we say "pretty please," I am sure that they will do as we ask them. After all, did not Leibniz assure us that we live in the "best of all possible worlds"? Leibniz was a great mathematician, but, alas, a lousy philosopher. We are thankful to Voltaire, who debunked him for all time.
There are belief systems which are simply archaic, and humanity needs to get over them for all time. Oh, and we do also need to curb our propensity for violence, as you have noted. We must remember, however, that our propensity for violence has survived because it has enabled us to survive as individuals, and thus also as a species. Evolution has no morality, it merely favors that which works. The question now, if I may beat a dead horse, is whether that which worked for us under more primitive conditions will perhaps work against us in the long run.
1
No, I haven't noticed that. Did you just make it up?
"Have you noticed that all of these "bad deals" "worst deal ever" indicate that trump and his family did not make money on it?"
I strongly disagree with Trump on the Iran deal, but I don't think he opposes it because he and his family didn't make any money from it. That argument is close to the "absurd" line, and I'm not sure which side of the line it's on.
"Obama essentially ignored congress by calling the Iran deal an agreement not a treaty."
Keep in mind that this distinction is purely internal. An "agreement" may become a "treaty" if the Senate approves it, but that doesn't mean the US can't just renege on the deal, no matter what its label. That's what "sovereign" means. Every country has its own procedure for approving (or not) deals struck with foreign countries. But any sovereign country is free to renege at any time on any such deal, regardless of how (or even whether) that deal has been approved internally.
That doesn't mean it's a good idea to renege on commitments -- as we're about to find out. But there's no question that's within the power of any sovereign nation. Again, that's what "sovereign" means.
Sovereign also means that no one can "demand" an inspection of their military sites. Trump should go try to inspect the military sites of the country he gifts $5 Billion a year to, and see what their reaction would be.
1
@ westsider We need Israel to protect us though people think it's the opposite. Oh well.
1
Have you noticed that all of these "bad deals" "worst deal ever" indicate that trump and his family did not make money on it?
Have you noticed that he tosses the problems he exacerbated to the congress so he can point a finger of failure to appease his flock. (flock= those who follow blindly even over a cliff because their leader mesmerizes them).
Have you noticed he does these things because all he truly knows is how to fail in relationships, bankrupt companies and rip off life savings and placing them into debt - all in the name of trump.
2
Not surprising: Trump is so insecure that he thinks he has to erase the presence of Barack Obama in order to have a place of his own. The ACA, now the JCPOA... what's next? Oh, right: since so many voters elected Obama twice, Trump has to eradicate the franchise as well.
1
The real question is what the nationalist generals intend. Trump no longer makes the decisions.
1
Trump has managed to create a world-threatening twofer here.
First, he's increasing the likelihood Iran will be forced to develop nuclear weapons for self defense. This in turn increases the likelihood for a US/Israeli war against Iran. Or, perhaps worse, promoting nuclear proliferation and then confrontation among nuclear-armed Mideast states.
Secondly, he's pretty much eliminated the possibility of a negotiated stand-down with North Korea. It's either war or uneasy MAD with another petulant, immature and egotistical leader. I fear Trump badly wants a war so he can be a 'war president' and use his nuclear toys. He's laying a pretty compelling predicate that war is the only answer in one or both regions.
Unfortunately, these two escalating crises are problems he himself precipitated by his manifest lack of insight, knowledge, maturity, and negotiating skills.
7
Are you not entertained!
2
Still can't believe there are supporters within this country and abroad.
2
The one national leader who supports the move:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-welcomes-trumps-courageous-decis...
Not sure if by "terrorist regime" he means the one that cuddles those who burn people alive and shoot and kill at will.
2
President Trump is not a King or a dictator. The congress should hog tie him and remove him forcibly from office and take away his phone. He is a menace to the world! We the majority want him gone!
5
Yes hog-tie seems like adequate treatment. But unlike him we are civilized humans, handcuff will be fine.
3
It may be time to give this one a rest:
"Putin is sure getting his money's worth out of this puppet."
Trump has shown himself capable, all by himself, of making both incorrect decisions (on the Iran deal, for example) and correct decisions (opposing illegal immigration, for example). Sometimes those decisions reflect the Russian position (not sending US troops to Syria, for example, or declaring a "no fly" zone over Syria), and sometimes they don't (this time, for example: Does anyone seriously think Putin wants the US to renege on the Iran deal?) And most often, frankly, Putin couldn't care less either way.
Trump's son did meet with (private) Russians during the campaign, hoping to get some "dirt" on Hillary, just as Hillary's people would have done if the tables were turned. (It's not as if Hillary's campaign was occupying some moral high ground here, after all -- let's not forget, for example, that they accepted at least two debate questions in advance from Donna Brazile.)
If Trump really had "collude" with the Russians, I don't think he'd have welcomed an independent investigation. Maybe that was just a smoke screen, but I doubt he'd turn Robert Mueller loose if he had any real fear about what Mueller may find. (If he fires Mueller, I'll change my mind about that, but, frankly, I see no sign whatever that Trump will ever fire Mueller -- just speculation from Trump opponents.)
Right on cue expect the full propaganda push from the Neo Cons, eager to once again stampede America into invading a Muslim country over---anyone? You guessed it, WMD aka nuclear weapons.
Why does America care if Iran has nuclear weapons? Israel has them. Pakistan has them. In fact, if Israel felt that its very existence was at risk, then a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran would be the norm, right? That would eliminate Iran and suddenly a lot Sunnis would be happy too.
Listen, America needs to stay out of this Sunni vs. Shiite war, that has been going on for centuries. As for Iran providing weapons to Palestinians/Hezbollah, Israel should target them accordingly. America has gifted Israel the mightiest and latest in weapons, but perhaps a better use would be to come to a peaceful agreement. Palestinians aren't going away nor are Israelis a fact that provides a brisk weapons business to both sides---too bad. A peace dividend could really improve the quality of lives for everyone.
America is the guarantor of Israel's existence, so ignore Iran's extremists and work with the moderates, the same holds true for Israel. Fomenting this seemingly endless war and Israel's apartheid system only perpetuates the suppression of masses cowed by fear of being accused as disloyal. But get this straight, America is onto the Neo Cons' propaganda game--invading Iran is not going happen we are still paying for the disaster of Iraq in more ways than simply trillions in treasure.
2
Iraq, the worst foreign policy decision in US history.
1
I strongly oppose Trump on this issue. But I'm still bothered by those who reflexively oppose whatever Trump does. Let's not forget: The Democratic Party did several underhanded things to keep the nomination away from Sanders, and offered up a mediocre candidate of questionable moral character (let's not forget: Hillary accepted at least 2 debate questions in advance from Donna Brazile), effectively telling voters they had no choice but to vote for Hillary. Obviously voters declared that they did have a choice.
Trump has serious flaws, but he's better than Hillary. Ask yourself, seriously: Would you even give Hillary Clinton the time of day, much less vote for her for President, if she hadn't been married to a former President? Frankly, she seems like a nice person, but so do thousands of people I've met. She has no more business being President than any of them do.
So, next time, Democrats, think a bit harder about your candidate.
And, of course, before you think about candidates, resolve your internal "left v. center" dispute. Until that gets resolved -- and I see no sign that that will happen any time soon -- it's almost impossible to imagine that Democrats will agree on a candidate for 2020. Remember: A candidate gets all of a state's electoral votes even if only, say, 35% of the state's voters pick that candidate, if the other candidates get even less. For example, Hubert Humphrey won Texas in 1968 -- do you suppose he got more votes than Nixon plus Wallace?
Paul Johnson's "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers" is instructive (though I've long wondered where Johnson (a Yale professor at the time) came up with his "statistics" on, say, military spending by the French government in the 14th century).
A central point was that, historically, nearly every powerful country gets that way from a strong economy, but almost always "exercises" that power by expanding its military and throwing around its military weight. That over-reaching eventually dooms the "powerful" country, often because other countries figure out that it's not really all that powerful. (The best example probably is the British Empire, which apparently believed it was still "powerful" on the eve of World War I but whose best days had actually been decades earlier.)
If the US "pulls out" of the Iran deal but the deal goes on without us (which may not happen, of course: I'd put the odds at only 99.43%), we may learn that US "power" is not quite what many think it is. In other words, we may end up learning even more awful truths about ourselves than the British Empire learned about itself in World War I.
The talk of Trump playing to his base just serves to foster division in our Country. Let's stop demonizing Trump voters. Although we may differ in our views, we are all in this together. We have Trump as our enemy in common as he runs roughshod over our values, our democracy and our institutions. Let's be honest. Trump only wants to divide us and enrich himself, his family and the very wealthy in this country. He does not care about you and me no matter what he says. He still is listening to Bannon and Miller. There goal is to create chaos. It doesn't make a difference whether it's the Iranian deal, the ACA, the Paris accord, etc. Trump wants to dismantle everything. His cabinet and Republican officials are finally speaking about Trump's erratic behavior and lack of qualification to be our President. Let's be honest. The country made a mistake in electing Trump. Join the movement to remove this man from office.
2
Sorry, they can’t hear you!
1
trump once again proves he is a man of his word , we voted for him to do this a and we love him for doing things like this .
1
You got admit that is a good laugh. Or at least it will be someday. Kind of like we laugh at Mussolini now.
The clown dictator. And his followers.
2
Armchair academic discussions of nuclear weapons virtually always show ignorance of the actual horrors of nuclear weapons. They are NOT just great big bombs. There is a virtual certainty that innocent civilians will be killed. The injuries are so gruesome that we don't discuss them to avoid the gentle sensibilities of the populace. This is a populace that would prefer to whine about NFL players respectfully kneeling during the national anthem.
We successfully negotiated a Treaty with Iran that stops nuclear weapons development in return for concessions. As such, it meets one critical need for us and for Western European countries. No one can pretend that this Treaty solves all the problems of the world. The negotiations involved compromises, a concept that seems utterly foreign to Trump, the Congress, or the people of the US. Unwillingness to compromise results in gridlock; note the accomplishments of the US Congress for the last 7 years.
The basis of Trump decertifying the Treaty is primarily that it doesn't eliminate Iranian export of terror. No it doesn't. But we turn a blind eye to Saudi mistreatment in Yemen and Qatar. Also to Israeli invasion of the West Bank with settlements that will certainly preclude peaceful agreements in that country. We've even taken a fairly passive position to Russia taking over major portions of Ukraine.
This is mostly an ignorant President flexing his muscles and demonstrating the achievement of another campaign promise.
1
"Trump punts to Congress and the GOP will take us closer to war."
I'd like to say I'm "amazed" at how many commenters fear Trump's decision will make war more likely, but I'm not surprised.
That doesn't make war more likely, though. I'd put the odds of that at near-zero. The US always has been free to "walk" from the Iran deal -- just as every other sovereign nation that signed that deal has always been free.
But if the US walks now, as Trump's "announcement" portends, the US will be opposing not only Iran but also several US allies who signed the Iran deal too and have made clear that they intend to honor their commitments as long as Iran does.
So who, exactly, would the US attack here? Certainly not the UK, Germany or France. If the US attacks Iran, Iran predictably will turn to those countries plaintively and say: "We've done exactly what we promised to do, and yet one of "yours" [i.e. the US] has reneged on the deal. Can't you talk some sense into that reneging bully?"
And the UK, Germany and France will try to do just that -- probably (and one hopes) BEFORE the US actually attacks Iran. Almost as predictably, Russia and China will do their best to stay out of this, expressing displeasure with the US position but leaving the heavy lifting to the UK, Germany and France.
So the square peg in the White House is finding it difficult to fit into the round hole the U.S. Government has been for over 240 years? Oh big surprise.
Trump has never negotiated anything. He does ALL the talking even if his ideas come for the least trustworthy sources.
Trump is only going after the Iran because he hates Obama more than he hates having to pay his 2 ex wives alimony.
For ten months now, Trump's ONLY major accomplishment has been to desperately try to erase the Obama administration. How President Obama has not spoken up is testament to what a "real" president is and Trump is not.
In those 240 plus years, 44 presidents have not overloaded government with billionaires who now are planning to be totally tax free, totally unregulated and totally without any restraints on their ability to use our tax dollars for their and not our benefit. 44 Presidents knew their duty to their country. Trump knows only his duty to himself.
I do not for one minute believe 32% of the country support him. He pulls numbers out of hats he knows will keep him in the game. He was a casino owner remember? The house in casinos always wins. Not the players.
The reality now is that Trump's only end game is to tear down what all 44 other presidents supported for the good of all.
When the president of Iran calls Trump a dishonest liar and dictator and the North Korean president calls him a dotard, what part of the word "NO" from Americans doesn't Trump get?
2
The words being spoken these days by Trump are not his own. They are written by his senior policy adviser, Stephen Miller, and delivered to Trump by Mr Miller's White House staff.
Henceforth, could we please describe Mr Miller more precisely - as the White House Grand Puppet Master (WHGPM).
Does the vast majority of thinking Americans believe that this Blockhead-in-Chief has taken the required hours/days of study and reflective time to digest, or is even intellectually capable of understanding, all the terms, conditions, and consequential nuances of this nuclear agreement?
The simple reason for this simpleton's unwillingness to certify is that, like everything else the narcissist processes, he can only consider such as a personal weakness and defeat to do so, with Iran "winning" and him "losing". Governing by a raging id is his modus operandi, to the deepening harm to the country. His removal from office is of paramount necessity. Sooner rather than later as the stakes for survival heighten.
1
"And the Public? The Public is stupid."
As best I can tell, someone is "stupid" if he or she doesn't agree with the person that decides who's stupid and who's not. If a member of the Public happens to agree with that decider, he or she is not "stupid," regardless of whether he or she explains the reasons behind his or her position. (That's not necessary, after all, since the "decider" will gladly provide whatever explanations are necessary.)
On the other hand, if someone disagrees with the decider, that person is "stupid" no matter what his or her reasons may be. (Once again, no explanation will be necessary: The person will have "proved" his stupidity merely by disagreeing with the decider; why he or she did so is irrelevant.)
Correction: It was Paul Kennedy, not Paul Johnson, who wrote "The Rise and Fall of Great Powers."
Again and again, the moron asserts that he will make something "much better", but he never gets anything done.
He killed the TPP, and left trade in the Pacific to be dominated by China.
He is threatening to kill NAFTA, and has nothing to show half-way through the negotiations on rewriting that treaty.
He has threatened to end DACA and tossed that problem into the lap of Congress (who cannot pass any legislation of consequence).
He is now threatening the Iran deal, and leaving it up to Congress to define the terms of any sanctions that might be applied to Iran (ignoring that the other nations who are parties to the deal have not even been consulted and do not approve of his actions).
He is acting to destroy the ACA by allowing (without any legislative approval) insurance companies to sell policies that violate the provisions of the ACA, and additionally by denying payments to insurance companies that offset some of the premium costs of low-income subscribers.
Why? Because all of these laws and treaties offend his sensibilities, and (other than NAFTA) were passed or negotiated under the Obama administration. Economic ogic and the needs of society do not enter into his thought process.
This is pure spite and stupidity in action. It is always about him. What a moron.
NOT. MY. PRESIDENT.
1
Do the readers forget - it's Congress that should be involved with this agreement and it's terms. The President is NOT king. No one thought this was a good deal when Obama signed it; both parties argued against the terms. Now, seems all have amnesia OR is does the hatred for Trump outweigh rational thought?
1
I believe the Constitution says that the Executive Branch has sole responsibility for foreign policy. The role of Congress is simply to manage American tax payer dollars. It can fund or not fund the policies of the Executive Branch.
It's hatred for anything Trump. The condescending snide remarks are endless. You are so right as Obama essentially ignored congress by calling the Iran deal an agreement not a treaty. He usurped congress with his exec order on DACA. And the ACA is full of his exec orders. The serial abuser of exec privilege, Obama
Correct. No one who was not on AIPAC payroll.
Iran has some legitimate gripes, as did North Korea.
If you haven't read the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it's worth reading (and very short). It basically divides signatory countries into two categories:
1. Nuclear states, which are named: China, Russia, France, UK, US.
2. Non-nuclear states: everybody else.
There is a third category, of course: nuclear countries that are NOT parties to the NNPT at all: India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea. (There's even a fourth category: countries that don't have a nuclear program and probably never will; nobody cares whether such a country commits to anything.)
The NNPT originally wasn't supposed to be a one-way street. The non-nuclear states were required to commit to various restrictions and inspections but, in return, they were supposed to receive assistance from the nuclear states in developing peaceful nuclear energy.
That part hasn't happened, and so several non-nuclear states have openly questioned whether remaining a party to the NNPT is wise. North Korea, for example, pulled out in 2002 after learning that the US would not follow through on its promise to help NK build two light water reactors (among other promises that the US decided were "no longer operative."). I'm strongly opposed to coddling tin horn dictators with nuclear weapons, but I can't really say I blame North Korea for being skeptical about US "promises." Our track record at keeping such promises is not good.
Reneging on the Iran deal will make it worse.
3
Putin is sure getting his money's worth out of this puppet.
4
Oligarchs who were born in Russia, with zero loyalty to Russia, does not equal Putin.
We should all keep in mind how Trump thinks about the New York Times.
I happen to think the Iran deal should just go forward, that Kerry et al. (mostly the "et al.", as Kerry would concede) did a great job. But Trump probably counts his announcement as a huge success BECAUSE -- if nothing else -- the New York Times doesn't like it. Trump generally figures:
"If the New York Times opposes me, I must be doing something right. If the Times runs an editorial against me, I'm REALLY onto something. And if those pesky New York Times commenters oppose me too, all the better."
1
We will never untangle the mess we are in until be start to think clearly about issues one at a time, instead of in packages. Trump will never do this, because he thrives on confusion - he is a huckster, a Three Card Monty dealer, a bait-and-switch artist. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats will do it, because each is committed to regarding these issues in terms of the package each is marketing. And the Public? The Public is stupid. The Public has always been stupid.
3
Trump has brought America into isolation from the rest of the world. America is no longer the leader of Western democracy. He has brought America back to 1914 and 1939, just before each of the Great World Wars. America assumed world leadership of the free world only after the destruction of most of the rest of the world. Is this how he will make "Make America Great Again"? It is a very dark place for America and the world to be, just before the oncoming storm. It may result in the catastrophic destruction of the current peace and prosperity of most of the world including America! In this case, history may not repeat itself and we may be heading towards nuclear annihilation and utter destruction of our current way of life.
2
The fact is that, for the first time since I can remember, the United States are fully isolated on the world diplomatic scene. And since the USA are still very, very powerful, president Trump's utterances generate a lot of instability. And this is bad for every inhabitant of the Earth.
3
More tear-down governance and irritatingly incompetent "diplomacy" from a complete amateur. Why don't you just set fire to the White House and finish the job?
2
After withdrawing from the historic Paris Climate Change agreement; withdrawing US membership in UNESCO; withdrawing most US embassy staff in Cuba; threatening to withdraw aid to devastated Puerto Rico, Trump now makes the colossal blunder of starting the US withdrawal from this vitally important peacemaking agreement with Iran. Given this nasty outbreak of withdrawal symptoms infesting the White House, the time has clearly come for some immediate corrective rehabilitation actions by what is left of US democracy before it is too late.
2
What makes trump or any critic of the deal think that Iran's ultimate target for a nuclear weapon would be Israel? It would make far more sense for Iran to use the weapon as a counter balance to its obvious antagonist in the area, Saudi Arabia. Iran using a nuclear weapon against Israel is irrational and pointlessly destructive. The would become a pariah nation against instantly committing an atrocity like that. And for them to have it as a countering force against Saudi Arabia, they have to actually keep it on reserve, not use it at once.
Rather than focus on Russian influence on American politics, an urgent effort should be made to determine Israel's influence. All communication between the Netanyahu government and our own should be brought to light immediately. The fact that Israel's "surgical strikes" on foreign territory have gone almost without comment in this country may have deluded factions in both Washington and Jerusalem that a similar strategy would work in Iran or, heaven forbid, North Korea. The consequences of such moves are the stuff of nightmares.
1
Neocon conservatives are already talking about imposing a tougher deal on Iran. Trump punts to Congress and the GOP will take us closer to war.
2
US foreign policy is the clear responsibility of the Executive Branch. The Legislative Branch can approve or deny US funding of foreign policies determined by the White House and State Department. It does NOT have the authority to sanction other nations.
Trump's referral of this foreign policy issue to Congress is not in conformance with the US Constitution.
Is this not correct?
1
Our Fake So Called President has developed a pattern of addressing his blustery campaign promises
by announcing that he has fulfilled a particular promise
and then sending the issue to the Congress which, as we know, is barely functional. Therefore, his reasoning goes, if his base likes what Congress does then he takes the credit and if it doesn't, he shifts all the blame to Congress. He is very risk averse because his ego seems not to be able to be capable of absorbing anything like a setback or a failure. Hence, when there is failure, it's someone else's fault. It's Trump World.
1
Basically he just wants his grubby hands on it, he doesn’t know or care what it’s about.
2
Given that he had to be reminded to sign his Obamacare slasher paper, Mr T likely lacks the energy to sign off so often for certification. Time for Pence to relieve him of duties like this that burden him too much - and all those other duties about which he is clueless.
1
I sure hope that everyone is ready for WWWIII !! This man has definately "lit the wick of war"!!!
2
Candidate Trump shot from the lip during the 2016 Presidential campaign out of ignorance and purely for theatrics and to excite a base known for its anger over the rise of women and people of color in society, including hatred for America's first multiracial President. He called everything President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton did "stupid" and "a disaster" and everything he would do "beautiful" "fantastic" and so on.
Now he is attempting to dismantle anything attached to Obama and Clinton, regardless of whether it has merit and beneficial for the American people, good for America. Remember that Hillary Clinton is responsible for putting together the beginnings of the Iran deal. Thus, immigration (the Dreamers), healthcare, taxes, the Paris Climate Agreement, trade deals, NATO, Russian sanctions, nuclear weapons, diplomacy, the United Nations, environmental laws and regulations, and so on are on the chopping block to be reversed of killed.
President Trump's solutions to America's problem is to build a wall and deport and block people of color from coming into the country, deny transgender people the right to serve in the military, slow up aid for Puero Rico (a country full of people of color), deny women birth control pills, support coal production and toxic pipelines but unravel environmental laws and regulations and increase our nuclear arsenal, etc., etc., etc. In his words, make American great again.
How much longer will the American People put up this?
3
Leave it to the most shameless liar since Baron Munchausen to find a way to slander even the dreadful Iranian regime. In saying Iran is not complying with the spirit of the accord, Trump is -- big surprise! -- lying.
2
If a policy or treaty or any other act passed during the Obama administration: i.e. healthcare, the Iran nuclear agreement, TPPA, DACCA, the Paris accord----are obviously anathema to the trumpster, in spite of any merit they had/have.
So now, our national credibility has taken another severe blow, we are more isolated in the world, and the republican congress stands by while Nero fiddles and Rome burns.
4
Brilliant, Putin is destroying America from inside. When will heartless GOP wake up to this reality?
1
Instead of "heartless," I would call them "brainless" GOP.
All Trump wants to do is what the old joke said about the guy who jumped off a building: make a big splash on Broadway. He's all for show. He is a useless coward. Sure, he ordered the biggest non-nuclear bomb to be dropped worthlessly in Afghanistan, but that was also for the "splash." A sad case.
And every maneuver he makes is to try to slough all blame off on a Congress who he knows cannot get things done as long as they refuse to work with democrats. Now he is encouraging Bannon to go after the GOP incumbents. Will he succeed in getting an all-Trump GOP Senate and House? It's up to American voters to prevent it, though they'll probably fall for the big splasher yet again and get duped as last election.
2
Trumps actions will backfire and the U.S. taxpayers will bear the cost. For him, this is just the 'major league' play ground with no consequence to him whatever he does or doesn't do. Already now European Union members have negative view of buying American or supporting American companies. Referring to 1974 Iranian actions to justify his 2017 actions are signs of dementia. And we will pay for that.
2
I don't find it hard to understand why Trump staged this piece of performance art in the absence of any valid reason.
He has done what he always does--destroy anything associated with Obama and anything that binds the US in accords that involve give and take with other countries. And the more the establishment, the international community, and the other usual suspects howl, the better he likes it.
Measuring his performance by the standard of competence is missing the point. He's not after competence. He's after the destruction of Obama's achievements and seeks only to remind the base that he's not playing by the rules. All the people he is hurting--the millions who are drinking water from Superfund sites in Puerto Rico, the millions who risk the loss of health insurance, the workers who will be hurt by the end of NAFTA, the millions who will pay for our indifference to climate change, all the rest--are just collateral damage.
It's about dominance, destruction, and vengeance. He hates Obama because he is black and because this black man humiliated him in public in 2011--so the rage inside him is bottomless and burns with unquenchable ferocity. The Iran deal, NAFTA, the Paris Accords and all the rest have no particular meaning for him except as tools to wreck Obama's legacy. Policy details don't matter to him and will never convince him--because they do not respond to what drives him. They are beside the point.
Trump is about nihilism. Nothing else.
7
The civilized world hasn`t learned from History. Appeasing Trump should stop immediately, and world leaders should unite in opposing the rise of the US as a hegemonic racist dictatorship. For it isn`t just Republicans who bend to the utter immorality of Trump. Bit by bit, unwittingly and under the stupor of patriotism, the entire American society is submitting to the Narcissist`s will; this is Nazi Germany all over again, but on a vastly larger scale, and with nukes that can obliterate humanity.
It was global cowardice that led to WWII by appeasing Hitler under the fantasy that he wasn`t as evil as common sense suggested he was, and it is global cowardice that is allowing the rise of the Immoral Narcissist, by pretending he is just a silly orange clown. But Trump isn`t a silly clown, just like Hitler or Stalin weren`t silly clowns. Trump is, like Hitler or Stalin, the very essence of Evil. This is exceedingly difficult to acknowledge, but this doesn`t make it untrue. The evidence is all around us. The World must acknowledge this and take action, for there to be any hope of avoiding a global disaster.
3
To those who didn't support Hillary Clinton, when you put Mr. Trump behind the wheel, didn't you realize he can't focus, has a bad temper and has no skills required for this office. So now we have someone in charge who is willing to drive the country off a cliff if he doesn't get enough attention. Our role as world leader is being diminished as Russia climbs. Is that what you wanted?
8
Trump's goal is to dismantle Obama's legacy. Period. He is incapable of understanding nuance, diplomacy, etc. Our allies are pulling away and are enemies are enjoying the chaos. Trump has to be removed from office.
7
"Foreign policy is not a political cudgel..."
I agree with the commenter on the Iran deal, but I wouldn't say generally that "foreign policy is not a political cudgel." For example, a small, weak country may have the best idea out there for handing some international political problem, but it's fairly predictable that a much-worse idea will be chosen if it happens to be proposed by a country that has lots of bombs and other weapons (also known as "cudgels").
In other words, of COURSE foreign policy is a "political cudgel," or at least can be. This isn't the right time to hit anyone over the head with a cudgel, but it may be appropriate to use a cudgel in some other crisis -- or at least threaten to.
A major difference between foreign policy and, say, our legal system is that a sovereign nation can "walk" from any position it may take. All that prevents it from doing so is the reaction of other sovereign nations. If that reaction is very negative -- as appears likely if the US "walks" from the Iran deal -- the first sovereign nation may re-think its position. The US should do that here.
But that doesn't mean the US should ALWAYS change its position. The first rule in foreign policy has been the same for many centuries: Might makes right. Sometimes a nation thinks it has more "might" than it really does (this time, for example). But sometimes the nation DOES have enough "might" and will be better off threatening to use it (North Korea comes to mind).
If Trump just signs off and re-certifies, Iran will continue on their way to attempt to control the Middle East, expand their power, test ICBM's, and prepare for the day they have nukes. Even if they keep they keep their word about the nukes, it will only be a few years when the agreement ends. They will have no incentive to try to back off anything they do if Trump rubber stamp the certification.
If you don't like his method of trying to pressure the Iranians to back off some of their aggressive policies, how would you do it?
Alan,
Iran has every right to defend itself, whether by defensive weapons or by deterrent offensive conventional weapons. They seem to have no current intentions to develop nuclear weapons. They have every right to a nuclear energy program.
As for Iran's so-called "aggressive" policies, I would see these as simply targeting injustices and violations of human rights and international laws. So I would be encouraging this activity, rather than pushing them to back off.
1
This sable-rattling is for the benefit of his base which seem to be satisfied and encouraged by these shenanigans, fooled into believing their blow-hard hero is actually accomplishing anything. He promised a wall, no wall, he promised abolishing Obamacare and since he couldn't do it, is sabotaging it, he promised to end the Iran deal and he can't do that either. But he is feeding his followers with enough chest thumping and bluster to make them believe he is working and getting things done. So sad!
3
Two things concern me most here:
1. That so much of this article, and the discussions and the action it reports on, has to do with Trump's emotions and coping with them.
2. The fantasy that you should be able to get everything you want, and the other side ought to agree that it gets nothing, and hey presto! Everything's fixed for the rest of eternity.
Kerry et al didn't cut this deal to be perfect, or because they adored Iran's loopy government. They cut this deal to delay their bomb program for at least twenty years, to get inspections, and to buy time.
That's what they got; it's worth it.
7
A barefaced racist! Trump does not realize that the USA has not won a war since Genada. Everyone else knows that we will suffer greatly in any war we initiate with Iran and many others. He wants to erase Obama's legacy? What a fool! Does he realize how many people still want to erase MLKs record of good work? And John Brown, Malcolm, Ida Wells, Harriett Tubman, Muhammad Ali and thousands of others? He had better bone up on even the recent history of Iran and its environs and behave like a leader with very significant problems at home. Remember Rome (as in Italy, not America).
5
Trump is trying to have it both ways. He ran on this issue to turn out his base. He said he would tear this deal up on day one. If the deal is bad as he claims why hasn't he walked completely away from it? This will show to our allies and adversaries alike that with Trump in charge he will negotiate in bad faith and can't be trusted to carry out the terms of the deal. Also puts the GOP in a precarious positon in the Congress. They already have a full slate from tax reform to healthcare reform. Even controlling all the levers of government they showed they lack the ability to act on any piece of legislation. Yes, the deal wasn't perfect but it was better than having no deal in place to curb Iran's nuclear aspirations in the region. Finally, if you tear up plan A, you better hope that plan B is just as effective if not better than plan A. Trump doesn't have a plan A or a plan B.
4
Hi,
Why do it,
Why allow it,
Pass the ball back in his court.....after all he said.... he is the best.....let's see.
Just keep the baby occupied with golf and then he won't try to undo something else or reek havoc. At least there are a few people around him that realize he is trying to reek havoc globally and are trying to pacify him.
Sad that I feel safer when the person who is President is kept busy playing golf on the tax payers money but I do. I have no confidence that the GOP are going to acknowledge the hate machine that is Trump and his mental instability. Just keep Trump busy playing golf for as long as he in this position. The world will be a safer place. I think of all the world leaders of the globe, Trump is the most dangerous person in the world.
2
We the People ought to reclaim our power and give control of Congress to the Democrats.
Republicans will never check Trump.
We get the government we deserve.
3
"Defense Secretary Jim Mattis argued that it was in the national security interests of the United States to keep the deal’s constraints on Iran."
What is the US national security interest in comparison with Trump's personal grievances and delusions? (Answer: it is nothing to Trump). Anyway, nuclear weapons policy is way too complex for the Dotard in Chief.
5
Its amazing America distrusts its own president and trusts more the country that developed and enriched its nuclear stockpile for one specific reason. It is clear and dangerous, appeasement will eventually lead to destruction. Has not past history served as a lesson for the world to avoid those mistakes?
In case you have not been paying attention, we have a madman in office now.
3
The most dangerous evil man in the world today. Congress is ok with it and I give up. Get it over with.
4
Ted Cruz is fearful of a "blood bath" in 2018. Let's hope he's right and get out that vote.
2
Here's how it went down:
"Mommy and Daddy, can I beat up this kid at school?"
"Please don't. That would not be in the best interests of this family."
"Please? I already promised all my friends that I would beat him up."
"Ok, you can threaten to beat him up, but don't do it just yet. We'll tell you when you can beat him up."
2
There are predictable patterns to Trump’s behavior as president. He lies an average of five times a day (there’s a tell: his mouth is moving). Any domestic policy he advocates will hurt more Americans than it helps. And any foreign policy move will be incoherent or manifestly detrimental to our interests.
On the Iran nuclear deal, let’s start with the 'spirit' of the agreement. First, this has no legal or diplomatic meaning. Rather it seems to be an empty vessel into which all the criticisms of the hard right in this country and Israel are being poured.
Of course, the neocons didn’t want any deal at all. Most wanted an excuse for war with Iran (almost certain to be a greater disaster than the Iraq war). And they absolutely didn’t want a diplomatic victory for a Democratic president.
The fact the great negotiator could immediately begin a new round of negotiations over unresolved issues seems to have escaped our moron in chief. No, it has to be chaos and brinkmanship.
Trump is destined to finish his time in office (mercifully, may it be brief) with virtually no useful accomplishments, foreign policy or otherwise. He somehow thought serving as the anti-Obama president would guarantee success and adoration. What moron could possibly believe that?
5
we need new elections now!!!
4
Many commenters seem to believe that SOME deal had to be done. Not so.
For many decades, Iran has been a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and has been inspected regularly by the IAEA pursuant to its Safeguards Agreement. (Indeed, Iran has long been the most-inspected country in the world under that treaty.) The last time the IAEA found any material violation by Iran was in 2003, and it's never found any evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Ever.
The US wasn't satisfied with that -- including Iran's refusal (along with many US allies -- e.g. Brazil ,Egypt) to agree to the Additional Protocol -- a more extensive scheme of obligations and inspections created in the 1990s after Western powers learned that Saddam Hussein had managed to develop a fairly extensive nuclear weapons program while complying with all of Iraq's obligations under its then-existing SA.
The US had three choices when the Iran deal was hammered out: Agree to what it agreed to; agree to something tougher on Iran (which the US tried for, but couldn't get); or do nothing. The difference between then and now is that several other Western countries made the same choice as the US, and now they say they want to honor their commitments. Partly they feel that way just because they're old-fashioned "keep your promises" types. And partly they appreciate that Iran committed to a lot more than it had before -- the Additional Protocol, for example. They'd like to keep Iran on the hook.
1
And this is a "terrible deal" because of what, exactly Mr. Trump? We know no details of why you consider it terrible.
4
I still, for the life of me, cannot understand how people voted for this man and if this is what they really wanted when they voted for him. What he is doing is going to take years to undo.
3
That's OK. I can't understand how people voted for that woman either.
1
And Joe wonders why Iowa is the flyover State???
Because nobody wants to go there.
2
People voted for Trump out of ignorance or misplaced rage. No rational person would want our great country led by an ignorant, racist fraud.
2
Look at this thing and the UNESCO thing and you figure out rather quickly that Donald is just doing what Bibi, his other boss, is telling him to do.
4
He has no boss. Malignant narcissists have no boss.
1
Trump and his advisors, such as Nikki Haley, have taken a position of such wretched self righteousness that it is nauseous. Get rid of a workable deal on the hope you will get a deal in which nobody else wants except hard core neo cons, Saudi Arabia, and Israel. They make the usual wild inaccurate accusations of Iran's malevolent influence on the world. Trump inspired ignorance and malicious disregard for damaging a workable international agreement is a shocking reminder of the mercurial nature of Trump.
6
Robert Mueller please hurry. And go after Donald Trump first, get rid of him, and then work your way down the ladder. Give trump two choices Russian or prison. And a gigantic fine to pay for all the disruption he’s caused. The sooner the better to make America great again.
5
Emolument Violations, Conflicts of Interest, Obstruction of Justice, Collusion with a Foreign Government, Derangement Syndrome....any or all of the above!
Please remove this moron now before he destroys our nation.
4
USA Go Away. No more NATO. Brixet will help undermine NATO. The EU is the hopefui future and the US wants to disrupt it and Belt and Road is also a hopeful sing and of course the US is against that too. Anything that marginalizes the US I am for. The US is hell bent on destroying this World, as it, itself destructs. Let me out of here.
2
Trump hates Obama and will destroy anything accomplished during his time in office.
3
But ironically highlighting the extraordinary Onama legacy which will restored after Trump departs.
3
He’ll never be the man Obama is and it hurts so bad.
He’s like an animal in pain. A Little man with a great big ego pushed to the limit by narcissism. His greed has no bounds and he’s pretty and shallow like an empty vacuum.
Only a ignore deplorable could like this guy.
1
Let us hope that will be possible in the wake of the destruction this barbarian leaves behind. The only good news is that his legacy is MUD.
The only thing that is certifiable is Trump.
4
Can’t America just hold some Iranian hostages for a long time to settle the score, tell Israel to take care of itself and then put this whole matter between us and them behind us? Sovereign nations shouldn’t be in the business of telling each other what to do under their own roof. Time to start talking about N Korea again. Keeping the balls bouncing back and forth may be a good way to keep any of them from blowing up.
1
Oh. Kidnap some people, blow off Iran's bomb program, and then dash about the world screaming randomly.
Good plan.
Israel takes care of itself much better than we take care of ourselves.
1
trump has no plan except disruption and chaos. Congress deserves it, but those who pay will be the American public. trump patronizing conservative base is watching pigs going to slaughter. It's so obvious.
1
What a chore it must be for the grown-ups to contain this petulant President. I'm sure by now we are all bemoaning the 2012 Correspondents Dinner when Obama humiliated the man who was perpetuating the Birther myth, the same man who insulted and bullied his way into the presidency and now is committed to erasing any and all legacy of his predecessor. How much more of this personal vendetta must we suffer?
6
Couldn't agree more. He sat fuming while Obama surgically took him apart with humor as a scalpel at that correspondent's dinner and now we all pay the price of the damage to his thin skin and fragile ego. Too bad he can't take as good as he gives, but what can one expect from this man - a cross between a schoolyard bully and a junkyard dog.
He does Roy Cohn proud.
3
I'm still laughing about that dinner, because bullies and fools should be ounched right in the snoot on a regular basis.
And I am not blaming Barack Obama for the fecklessness and indifference of voters across the political spectrum.
1
Do you get the feeling that someone in charge knows that most people hate him and that his life will never be the same...where he thought everyone loved him..? Well there is no future for him where he is winning....SO...remove the future for everyone! I think that is what is happening.
1
Is there not any rational person who can explain to Trump what the deal is about? How we are not the only signers of this deal? How we will simply be pushed aside by the rest of the world? Does he not realize we will no longer be the most powerful country and the "looked up to" country in the world. No one will follow our lead anymore, why would they?
3
The fact that trump opposes it is a strong indicator that the Iran deal is good for ours and the worlds security.
4
...he stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plumb, and said, "My what a good boy am I!"
2
Talk about an unguided missile.
Geeezuz Trump has no idea of what his "plans" are so he just looks "busy" destroying the good things in the country and the world.
His continued destruction is an indication of his lack of intelligence.
How can anyone take him seriously?
1
Saudi bribes in the form of contracts is working. So corrupt!!!
2
"President" Trump does Not care enough to Know, or know enough to Care.
His chronic Goal is to Obstruct Anything "Obama" and Occupy Absolute
Center of Attention. Meanwhile, he ha "Minders" and Advisers who feed him thoughts, fitting to Their Own goals for Control. My hope is that Senator Corcker and other actual Public Servants are somewhere actually
Seeking to Serve the People Beyond Themselves. This "state of Being" is
SOCIOPATHETIC!
1
Without a prepared speech, I doubt Mr. Trump can articulate for 10 minutes his position on Iran and the agreement. His understanding of the agreement is shallow. He just wants to put a check mark on one of the promises so he can get reelected. There is no other long term strategy.
6
Like our activities in the Middle East have been so outstanding. If anybody should be slapping on sanctions it should be Iran on us for the damage we’ve done with our A-bomb superiority complex. Having the actual weapon itself is almost secondary to what just the thought of it does to wrap the senses. Warped senses of right and wrong on each side of an equation always ends up negative.
3
The provisions in the so-called "deal" with Iran will eventually expire, while in the meantime Iran will have made significant progress in other technologies. I support President Trump's refusal to recertify the "deal." I support the President. I support Trump.
2
What’s the alternative to the existing framework? Care to elaborate?
1
The sun will eventually explode by which time we'll have flying cars, too.
As with all this stuff, I have yet to see a Trump supporter who knows anything at all about what these deals actually are, and what they do: it's all bluster.
@M.M.
As far as I am concerned any deal other than an Obama deal would be better; Obama was sympathetic to Iran, which is well known to be an supporter of international terrorism. The Obama deal is just a measure to postpone the inevitable, the Iranian possession of a nuclear weapon. Thank you.
1
The German Foreign Minister recently warned of an impending war against Iran as a result. That is obvious. Iran has always been the prize. The US always first come up with, or produces, pretext. There will be a steady stream of agitprop, and who better than Trump to broadcast it. And the public wonders why he was put in office. The Global War of Terror--the GWOT--at its foreign policy core, as opposed to its domestic core, is designed to eventually encircle Iran and the Caspian. That is among the reasons why it is thought necessary, by the Pentagon, to define Russia in confrontational language. It is all about--well, mostly about--oil.
2
Psychopaths demand loyalty to deal with their insecurity, but their paranoia makes it impossible for them to be loyal. Besides, psychopaths enjoy experiencing their dominion over others, and one way to do that is to make others squirm and suffer. Destructive thoughts, feelings and beliefs - that's the calling card of a man with such low affect - callous, sensation seeking, no ability to grasp a big picture, just the ability to seize little moments of glorious dominion and collect power through being compelled to push at boundaries. Which boundaries? The ones' he notices. No forethought here, no executive function, just destruction. Oh, and in case you didn't notice....they escalate - it's because this is all connected to that same part of our brain that craves ice cream, or wants to take a risk, like race a car, or steal - only his urges are exponential. And he isn't going to stop because you ask. The train is off the rails, people and Congress is run by lemmings. It's up to us. Given we are humans and our favorite thing to do is as little as possible (seriously, I'm not making fun, it's what makes us so clever), I wonder if the best answer is just to stop - to play dead, so to speak. It's one technique a psychopath uses to get their way. Just stop. Stop supporting the machine.
4
The Iranians will restart their Nuclear Program just like the North Koreans did when the Bush Administration lost interest in the agreement with North Korea. History is being either ignored or the information never penetrated Trumps thick skull.
"A Bad Deal" Any deal or agreement that offends the man with the Narcissistic Personality Disorder he will just quit it. You just have to look at his business dealings to see Trumps MO. Defaulting on loans refusal to pay people that have done a job for Trump. Trump never seems to face any consequences so he has no worry over consequences now. All in the same week that he is trying to pull the plug on the Health Insurance of 17 million Americans.
Quite the week of doing harm on 2 fronts.
2
The Iran Deal seems to be a repeat of the President Clinton Deal with North Korea with a lot of cash thrown in. Is it really necessary to explain the downside with no upside !?
Yes, since North Korea never actually did the things Iran has done, and threw out its much more limited inspections as the Bush government got obsessed with invading Iraq for some reason or another.
Trump is what we in the rural Deep South use to call a "dim wit."
4
Out West the term is "all hat, no cattle."
America is not what it used to be.
2
I not sure it ever is what it used to be. Time for us to leave the world stage.
1
Mr. Trump again displays his ignorance and stupidity with his not certifying Iran's compliance in a Deal brought to fruition after years of diplomacy with a conjoined effort by Great Britain, Germany, France, Russia, China and of course, the US. Our unilateral decision not to keep our commitment in spite of Iran's compliance and holding up their side of the bargain only forces the Iranians to going back to their nuclear program in a great hurry and this time it would be nuclear weapons. They will not even make a pretense of nuclear capability for peaceful purposes. Like North Korea, Iranians would see nuclear weapons as the trump card. Why should they go back to the renegotiating table? Iran would feel completely duped and rightly so. A Deal is a Deal signed off not only by us but with five (!!!) of our allies and adversaries alike. And let's not forget Iran is not a starving country ( unlike North Korea ). Even with the tightest of sanctions they have survived albeit with difficulty. And their demographics show that Iran is made up of very young, educated people. The Ayatollahs days are numbered but the intelligent Rouhanis will be around for a long time. Trump is a clueless ignoramus but I thought the Israelis were a smart people. But just like Trump has to be impeached, so does Israelis will have to overthrow Netanyahu.
2
Trump is inadvertently helping the USA as he destroys our alliance, tears up treaties, his irrational and belligerent behavior silently cheered on by the establishment Republicans and openly by his racist cowardly base.
The good news is no one will trust or respect the US anymore. As they shouldn't. As we leave a path of broken countries in our wake.
Now Europe and Russia and China can justifiably tell us to stay out of their spheres of influence.
They can tell us stick to Mexico and Puerto Rico and our health care and our race relations and our income equality that we are so good at. Leave the rest of the world to the rest of the world.
1
There is no Treaty to tear up. Thank you President Obama.
2
What a complete reduction. What a shameless and biased, intellectually dishonest, account of President Trump's perspective. Perhaps the most telling moment of the odd video is Mr. Sanger's mere mention, just a casual footnote, as it were, that Iran and its aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons is also part of Iran's worldwide terrorism. How telling, how strange and odd, that this paper portray's the deal made by President Obama as something having anything valuable, anything of importance for the leader of the free world.
1
You do know that the Radical Islamist, ISSIS and the others are from the Saudi backed Islamic sect, not the Iranian backed Sect. Its the Saudi backed Shiites that bombed New York not the Iranian backed Suni. Iran has kept its side of the agreement. Mr. Sanger is wrong.
Republicans slapped the 90 day certification requirement on the Iran Deal as a cheap political stunt designed to allow them to score sheap political points on Obama and, they expected, Clinton. Instead the 90 day cycle allowed for a public review of the reality that Iran is in compliance with the agreement, putting the lie to the oppostion of Treason Tom Cotton and the 48 other Republican traitors that signed on to his letter to the Iranians.
And now that Trump is in the WH, he's too cagy to be embarassed by certifying the agreement in the face of all of the lies that he told his cult on the campaign trail. And so, he ends up destroying US credibility in the world, embarassing himself and his cultish party, and now forcing Treason Tom to step up and help preserve the agreement or see Trump start another pointless war in the Middle East, this time without the help of anyone except maybe Netanyahu (who will contrinbute exactly nothing) and the Saudis (maybe).
Will this be the straw that breaks the camel's back of the unaccountable Republicans?
3
Actually, Obama used the stunt because he could not get a treaty approved.
2
The problem with Trump is that he is an uneducated character who made a fortune by cheating regular folks and the government. His 'liddle' brains are incapable of understanding his own surroundings, save the confined Tower. Anything beyond the Tower Pale is alien to the poor entertainer. So, why the GOP doesn't dump him, as the WaPo asks? For two reasons (not five), because GOPers are hypocrites and 2.- they are spineless cowards. Just look at Ryan and McConnell, what do you see except jell-o?
6
Impeach the man-baby. Get this nightmare over with.
4
Did the 32 year old Steven Miller write Trump's speech? Surely Trump doesn't come up with all of this on his own. It is sickening and heart-breaking to see this country of ours being dragged to this new low by an incompetent President, and his acolytes. After the disastrous Bush years the Western World welcomed President Obama with open arms, and now here we are....Trump being seen for what he is. "Make America Great Again"? What a farce!
I've lived in this very red state of Idaho for 27 years and I've never witnessed such activity from the Democrats as I have this past year. Realistically, it isn't likely Idaho will elect a Democrat to Congress at this point, but things are perking up!
6
President Trump has never, to my knowledge, expressed the reasons why he has done anything. Perhaps, if he were forced to explain why, for instance, the Iran deal is a bad deal, his decision would be different.
3
The only reason - The deal was struck by Obama and he had promised his base that he will do so..
2
Iran’s support of terrorist groups would place Hezbollah as the lead actor. The Revolutionary Guard puts very few of their own people in the field, and those are largely limited to advisory roles. Actually, the main part of Iranian forces on the ground are not Iranian – they are Shia from Afghanistan and Iraq. Supporting al-Qaida is not in the Iranian interest and Israel can handle Hamas. As for the Taliban, they are hardly pro Shia. The Russians and Iranians do provide some support here just to make America’s job harder in Afghanistan.
And what about the Russians, Mr. Trump? They pack the biggest punch in Syria and Assad would have been gone by now without them. They came in because the Syrian army, Hezbollah and the Iranians were getting their clock cleaned. The terrorism that Mr. Trump talks about would be seriously diminished if it were not for Russian support.
Direct US strategy towards weakening Hezbollah, Mr. Trump. And that doesn’t require trashing the existing nuclear deal.
3
Weaken Hezbollah;
Israel must weaken those fighting for Palestinian freedom and resisting Israel's human rights abuse and violations of international law.
At the same time Israel must render Iran defenceless.
3
All our nincompoop President is accomplishing is proving to the North Korean leader and other rogue states, that the US cannot be trusted and everybody should do everything they can to keep building up their arms. How STUPID can one man be? Every day reveals new ways.
10
I did not like the Iran deal because I inherentlt don't trust their leaders. Then again, I don't trust mine either. I have no knowledge of international treaties, but I don't think it's a bad idea to get Congress to share some of the responsibility for a decision this important. Of course if it all goes bad, Trump will lie and disavow any responsible himself and blame Paul Ryan.
1
So, there's a silver lining. Ryan and probably McConnel will get more of what they so richly deserve...blame and shame. Even if it's at the hands of Trump, it'll feel good.
Perhaps there is a silver lining to this tornado cloud. Trump gave Congress a 60 day deadline to do something for which it is neither equipped nor capable; that is, renegotiate a multi-lateral agreement. This is paired with an ultimatum that he will unilaterally withdraw from that agreement, thereby uniting our historic the UK, Germany, France, Canada, Russia, China, and Iran against us. This is madness, evidence of which is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a former Secretary of State both using the word "war" in recent days to describe one potential outcome. Congress should use the 60 days to remove this menace from the White House. He has proven himself unfit to govern under the terms of the 25th Amendment. It is now the turn of the Congress to use that mechanism to prevent further chaos, or worse.
3
Busting the Iran nuclear deal — more of the Donald’s dangerous antics. The Arab states must be gleeful.
Here is the real deal with Trump, he can’t back down ever, its been infused in his mental and emotional DNA.
So what we have America is a litany of campaign assertions and promises that were great for cranking up the base, but were never subjected to any kind of a reality test, any hard nosed scrutiny. All stuff that doesn’t play well with our fixated Commander and Chief.
Now DJT is doggedly pushing forward as our POTUS. No backing down no matter how bizarre, how brazenly foolish, or how destructive the Trump campaign boilerplate actually is in the real world.
At some point this will prove to be a full proof recipe for a string of genuine disasters.
3
Trump divides Americans. Trump divides the Western world.
Putin smiles.
5
Obama's and Hillary's deals were worthless and for show. Is this deal did was result in Iran developing nuclear weapons in secret instead of in the open.
2
Trump continually lies about this agreement despite what his own people tell him. So he puts on a little show for his base who know nothing about the agreement except what he tells them. Why not be honest and say it's working? No. Honesty has never been Trump's best policy. Better to keep his base in the dark and then say he saved the world from Obama. That seems to please them more than anything. Crazy.
6
I used to watch the World Wrestling Federation as a kid. And at the end of each Monday night show, there would be some kind of teaser story, meant to draw your interest and get you to turn in next week. Of course nothing was ever followed up on or resolved. you just got another new teaser to focus on in each new episode. In looking back, I now realize that watching professional wrestling was pointless and far from beneficial to my development, but there was just something about following the idiocy and seeing what the heel wrestlers were going to do next.
1
Trump should be congratulated for his diplomatic effort. He has not cancelled the deal but kicked it to congress. He has also done what was considered here to fore impossible -- Iran is now a leading member of the peace coalition which includes the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and many more nations. The US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia are the charter members of the "losers club". Only a great negotiator like Trump could accomplish such a feat. Next up for the great negotiator- How to make N. Korea great again.
4
What does Congress have to do with the deal? The Deal is a UN Security Council + Germany deal with Iran.
Congress can re-impose US sanctions but they cannot abrogate the JCPOA since, as you correctly point out, the deal is between the UN security Council + Germany + Iran.
Even if Trump abrogates the JCPOA it is still viable. The US will be further isolated and be viewed as an untrustworthy partner in future deals.
1
Blessed are the peacemakers; cursed is Trump.
5
Trump's favorite tactic - force Congress to do the heavy lifting, which they will do poorly and come out looking worse for it. A textbook play from Steve Banon.
2
We had the privilege of working for a long time at an institute tasked at first with encouraging the development of democratic government in the countries of the former Soviet bloc and then promoting good governance in other countries around the world. Military and civilian leaders present and future attend the programs of this educational arm of our foreign policy to study and discuss with leaders of other nations many issues important to security, stability, and peace, including nuclear deterrence, cyber security, and terrorism and counter-terrorism. We fervently hope that this and other organizations that present the best of us to the world will weather the storm and continue to earn respect for our beleaguered nation.
3
Even if he is a moron (which he certainly is not, vengeful. makes stupid, unthoughtful remarks, has political views out of step with yours and most of country-by polling- sure all that) but he talks with Tillerson, Kelly, Mattis, his family he absolutely knows we cannot force other nations to pull out of a multinational deal. He is exaggerating financial benefits to Iran. That too. NYT says it's really only 35-60 million of their frozen money they got back. Since when is it unusual for political figures to exaggerate? The testing of IBBMs, disapproved in specific UN resolutions, continues unabated by Iran. I heard innumerable pro-Iran agreement commentators say, prior to the signing, that Iran soon would make nice. Trump hopes congress will impose new sanctions if they don't change their ballistic missile behavior (not the snapback sanctions). Haven't we learned anything from the experience with North Korea? Clinton, Bush and Obama all promised they wouldn't get a nuclear weapon. Is it my imagination but don't they have a number of them plus ICBMs?
The U.S. is quickly acquiring a reputation as being an unreliable partner in agreements and other countries have now taken notice. I expect that going forward, countries (even allies) will be wary to take the U.S. at its word. Trump changes his statements faster than the weather and the rest of the world now knows this and will approach any future negotiations with this fact in mind.
5
This isn't hard to understand. Trump is 'against' the deal because President Obama made fun of trump at the Press Corp Dinner. Typical rich guy whose had it easy all his life and is so easy to offend.
6
He hasn't read it, wouldn't understand it even if he did. This act is a deflection from the Mueller investigation that is slowly closing the noose around Trump and his family.
6
No one should be surprised by this move. This is the Trumpian policy: (1) Play to his base; (2) Tell everyone he can make a better deal; (3) Pull the plug, but not really (to con the base); (4) Lay the responsibility back onto congress.
He did this with DACA. He did this with Obamacare. He is now doing it with the Iran Treaty. He is a master of putting himself in the position of making sure that 'his promises' becomes the responsibility of someone else. In these cases, the Republican-led congress.
Republicans beware. You can fully expect that Trump is going to play some form of this perverse game with your attempt at passing tax reform/cuts. In the end, you will be the blame, if you do not give Trump what Donald J. Trump ordains as acceptable. At every step, you will own Trump's failures. He never will.
4
So, we either risk 'losing face' with the 'rest of the world' because they won't be able to trust the US in future agreements OR do nothing about Iran being the largest state sponsor of terrorism, who BTW #BarackObama just had to make a deal.
I vote risk losing face.
Saudi Arabian, our good friend, is the largest state sponsor of terrorism, not Iran.
2
@Jeff. Saudi is our mortal enemy. All the terrorist organizations ISIS Al Qaeda etc are Sunni. Their philosophy theology is Saudi. Pakistan Turkey also Sunni. Our natural ally is Iran. But first we owe them an abject apology for Shah etc.
The perfect definition of a bull in a china shop.
1
This president is a SMALL SMALL MAN and his voters small too. US is gradually turning into a small country. SAD.
4
Except for putting Congress in a dilemma, alienating the European allies, and giving Iran a clean chit to go the North Korean way, Trump would achieve nothing by decertifying the Iran deal.
4
I desperately want OUR government representatives to make policies that are more consistent, thoughtful and factual-based, unlike the current leadership and, more importantly the GOP's "no to every idea" for the past 9-16 years.
2
@Karen
"I think that this president should restart the draft for the armed forces."
Trump of course knows about sacrifice in war personally. He evaded sacrifice not once but five times in the Viet Nam war ... a draft dodger par excellence while over 50,000 of his fellow americans gave it all up as he carried on his self-serving hedonistic life style with absolutely no regrets or second thoughts.
10
Is it an easily enough discernible fact, based on the definitions of terms (meanings of words) and conditions within the multiparty accord, that Iran is non-compliant? Or, is there otherwise wiggle room for Trump/USA to be able to claim so because there are objective requirements which lack specificity?
My real question is is Trump lying?
2
Trump lies 80% of the time. Figure those odds.
2
How about a joint venture named hotel in Tehran or perhaps a golf course and resort on the Black Sea?
If his mouth is open he is lying.
2
Netanyahu's pleas against leaving Israelis living in the perpetual shadow of nuclear destruction went unheeded by Obama, and so we are here where we are. A shameful decision on his part. Hopefully, it is still not too late for the blockbuster bombs.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-army-chief-vows-to-raze-israeli-citie...
1
AS
Netanyahu has, for years and years, used the Iranian "existential threat" to Israel ploy to distract the world from his illegal colonization project in the Palestinian West Bank. You know it. I know it. Obama knows it.
6
The only people living under the shadow of nuclear destruction in the Middle East are those living in every mIddle eastern country other than Israel, the only country in the region presently holding nuclear arms.
As for Bibi and his pleas, assuming the prison he will soon be in is well fortified, he will be safe enough from his many, many, many enemies. Too bad.
6
Hmm. But aren't all the mid-east countries now under the shadow of a nuclear armed Israel?
4
Dear Iranians,
We in the West apologize for the words of Donald Trump. Please understand that he suffers from mental illness. That said, we are however embarrassed that he became one of the political leaders in the West. Please try to ignore what he says.
Soon we will put our house in order and put Mr. Trump in the loony bin.
Thank you. Sincerely,
Your Friends in the West
15
Mr. Trump is like the "clever" student in a class who claims that he will ace the exam but never turns in his term paper. This won't work in real life.
4
The only solace I have is, that I know for sure, it is impossible to lie to yourself. So your Mr. President knows exactly that he isn‘t the most intelligent guy in the world. Poor, lonely, no friends, not even his daughter loves him and forget about his wife. Hasta la vista!
5
Writers at the NYT:
Neither Trump nor the USA can do anything to the JCPOA except to abrogate the treaty and walk away. It is not clear if there would be any reaction by anyone to such an abrogation.
2
Sure looks like Tillerson calling him a "Moe Ron",...was probably the most positive thing he could think of:)?
6
Certification by a moron is of dubious value at any rate.
5
JIUST SAY NO. We have to stop trying to analyze Trump's motivations and leave that to the professionals. Meanwhile we have to immediately put a stop to
his statements and actions before somebody gets hurt.
5
Yeah. Who will bell the cat?
2
As always, throwing it back into Congress's lap, but trying to make it look like he's actually doing something. The buck never stops here. Sad.
4
So much for Obama's hollow boast about having a pen. Didn't get the Iran deal ratified as a treaty, Trump kicks it to the Congress. Didn't get the Insurance company subsidies passed into law, Trump kicks it to the Congress. Didn't get the coal plant shutdown passed into law, Trump kills it. DACA discretion, Trump kicks it to the Congress; and on and on. Turns out much of the Obama Presidency was just shinny objects.
2
Yeah, all those republican shinny objects.
What did you expect when the Republicans closed down Congress for the last 6 years of Obama's Presidency. It is so sad that you like all Conservative Republicans can't face the truth about the world wide damage your Party and President has done. It seem like your party's motto should be "Blame our victims, not us."
Trump is a throwback from the time of the Nixon administration who best fits Spiro Agnew's illustrious title of "Nattering Nabob of Negativity".
Or to paraphrase from one of my other favorite pols, Mayor Richard J. Daley : "What trees does he plant?" Trump is good at tearing down what others have built. But what has he replaced them with? What has Trump actually accomplished in the first 9 months of his presidency? What a fraud! But I guess many Americans seem to like this fraud. How sad!
3
If Trump scraps the nuclear deal with Iran, it will set off a chain of events which will inevitably lead to war, and destabilize not only the Middle East but also the European allies of the US. The only supporters for such a disastrous move will be the so called "friends" of the US in the Middle East, who will cheer the US on as precious lives and treasure are lost in yet another wrong and futile cause. For the sake of all Americans, I am imploring our congress folks to stop this madman Trump!
2
"No American troops in Iran."
Trump's ability to destroy the world is somewhat limited, thank all the gods. Let's hope it stays that way.
2
So what is he afraid of? Probably, because there may be some intelligence floating around the White House that has actually penetrated the golden dome over his remaining grey matter (it not all having turned black yet), that understands results of PR focused actions have limits. Most other nations can't be swayed as easily as his "core supporters" to accept actions that work against their own interests, whatever those interests are.
As a second thought why hasn't anyone recognized that he has a language problem where when he says "promised" since what he means is "threatened".
1
Kudos to Trump. Rogue regimes like Iran can never acquire a nuke. That will not stand. They cannot be trusted. This was on the ballot. Weak Obama gone. Strong Trump is game changer. Stay tuned.
1
As President, this neophyte shows a level of incompetence here that makes clear the cost of never having attended a foreign affairs briefing. This decision helps no one but feed Trump's ego. Stumbling about this bull in the Oval Office is breaking everything he comes into contact with. Simultaneously he's bumbling about in healthcare again potentially knocking up to six million people off any coverage at all in one fell swoop.
1
How will the US get it's credibility back once this guy is out of office. Eventually Trump will quit and say America is full of losers who don't deserve him. The United States must maintain it's reputation as a country that can be trusted.
4
Trump will never voluntarily quit. He is having too much fun basking in the attention that everybody is giving him. Being the center of attention is what drives the guy. Negative attention and criticism means nothing to Trump--he is immune from that because of his ego. It's going to be a long three more years.
1
The EU will take our place and they will find they don't need the US to "lead" because we are socially, culturally and politically far behind them.
2
There’s a general realization looming on the horizon spreading far and wide that effectively we have an imposter in the White House ... in truth a tragically unprepared and dangerously unprincipled ‘fake’ president who is an unabashed leech and an unrepentant liar.
4
Trump's got another general?
Trump reminds me of the bumper sticker I have seen:
Testosterone - a good idea gone bad.
1
This headline perfectly summarizes the divisible duplicity and spineless principles of trump (still small t)
We need to stop entertaining intellectual curiosity items about this guy and hold him to account for doing everything from obstructing investigations to enriching himself by refusing to divest interests. His henchmen keep trying to normalize the abnormality of his behavior. Nothing about his time in office has been normal and nothing about him has changed. He is grossly incompetent and proves it daily. He is using the office to enrich himself and his spawn, and proves it daily.
3
His henchmen? You mean all the republican congress people?
1
One has to hope Trump gets over his inferiority about Obama before he destroys our country.For one with oafish ways the smooth, educated and polished Obama must haunt his thoughts daily.Is there a week that goes by without Trump blaming Obama for something?The world loved Obama and Trump hates the world for not loving him as much.Trumps loves to brag about his pugilistic prowess for being a counterpuncher.When in reality he is acting like a child who takes his ball and goes home because no one wants him on their team.The sad part is the Trump never lets anything get in the way of his vengeance not even love of country will trump that.
4
The educated, democracy oriented Iranian people are our natural allies.
They too have to deal with hate-filled extremists, extremists that emerged in soil nurtured by our own Republicans, First the coup where we overthrew a democratically elected pro-American Iranian leader in the 1950s because he wouldn’t give a British oil company a good enough deal on Iranian oil) and then Bush lumping them with Iraq in his “axis of evil” then overthrowing and killing Saddam Hussein.
The Iran nuclear deal was a good first step to defusing a difficult relationship and strengthening those in Iran who seek to restore their historic good relations with us.
Unfortunately, yet another Republican President (who was rejected by a clear majority of Americans but installed by Republican Electors) is strengthening the case of Iran’s hardliners, yet again undermining those (based on their votes a clear majority of Iranians) who trusted USA and seek to be our friends.
8
Oh my GOD...Donald Trump will you ever just go away?
16
Trump's simpleton rule of thumb: If President Obama is for it, Trump is against it, and will do everything in his power to destroy our last legitimate president's legacy.
DD
Manhattan
20
Israelis, Saudis, and Russians are only people who support Trump.
Trump has accomplished nothing for America since his presidency began. His only job has been to undo America's achievements.
24
of course, the man who wants it all ways... (maybe a hotel is in the offering)
Can't insult our GOOD friends, the saudi's.
7
Just another proof of your president being the ultimate hot air balloon! Get rid of this guy who has already done so much harm to your country. Nobody trusts you anymore. You want to declare new sanctions? Who will go along with you? Every day this Mr. President stays in office the US loses credibility. I am sorry for your once great country. Stop this guy! Now!
19
Trump lacks the courage to cancel the Iran nuclear deal, just as he lacks the courage to just cancel Obamacare. He lacks the brains to come up with better solutions. He lacks the skill to get Congress to develop alternatives. He will achieve nothing, and when gone all of his changes will be reversed. He will be the most strikingly meaningless President in US history. He will never join with Obama and Bush and Clinton in the ranks of ex-Presidents who disagreed politically but have a mutual respect because Trump lacks one thing above all others - a genuine love of anyone above himself, without which being President becomes impossible.
So - disavow the deal. We will wait you out, apologize, and re-instate it, as we will for Obamacare and the other things you have broken. Its only a matter of time.
12
Trump is throwing both the healthcare and Iran debacle back where they belong, Congress. Obama side stepped congress by not calling the Iran agreement what it really is , a treaty. Obama lacked the skill to work with congress and accomplish anything; except the ACA where he rammed a bad bill through congress on his terms. So, spare me your false indignation. Trump is using Congress as he should. Obama overstepped his authority on the Iran deal not to mention DACA. Obama had neither the skill or interest to work with Congress. In the end he morphed into a serial abuser of executive orders.
Brian,
Exactly, How has POTUS Trump displayed the "Skill" of working with Congress?
2
@Mark, I didn't say Trump had the skills to work with congress. I said " he threw these deals back to congress where they belong." Congress can pass veto proof legislation if they do choose. That's how our system of government is supposed to function.
You state, ""Mr. Trump’s decision not to certify that Iran was complying with all terms of the agreement" was not shared with his top national security advisers. It is vitally important that the President explain just what terms Iran is not in compliance with. Especially in light of comments claiming that the President is not a "rational actor," the public must be able to judge for themselves. Lacking any evidence to the contrary, it seems that Mr. Trump's decision not to certify compliance has created "the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakout" that was the basis of his decision. And that, at this point, seems irrational.
10
The best days of the U.S. appear are behind us unfortunately. China in purchasing power parity has a larger GDP and the U.S. looks more an more like a Bangladesh or India (perhaps worse), in taking care of disasters of its own citizens in non-favored areas (Puerto-Rico). The "bankrupt" way the U.S. is stimulating the economy is through war and arms expenditures which in the end since WWII has done little good for anyone, with the possible exception of incidental invention of technology. As our trade with Iran in small cutting it will not make a major dent in the Iranian economy. As China is both the worlds largest and biggest producer Iran should keep the deal whether we are in it or not, because Chinese sanctions to Iran should be devastating should the Chinese become concerned. Trump unwittingly perhaps is doing all he can to speed America's decline. Cynically, a more unequal plutocracy which the U.S. is becoming may be better for the Trump family interests than the society of Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon
3
The media seems hesitant to print positive things about Iran even in the context of criticizing Trump over his position on the nuclear accord. For example, in referring to Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, what are they referring to, Hamas? But how about a story about Hamas, should this be put in the same category as what the public thinks of terrorist groups nowadays (Al Queda, and parts of the Taliban). The public, at least those informed by the media, does not get a fair view of Iran and its perspective.
2
Perhaps one way to manage Trump and this Administration is to react by not reacting. He is a business man and not a politician, and this appears to be another reason We The People voted for him.
Second-guessing anyone is never wise in these positions of power and my opinion of Trump is 'You don't like my new Health Insurance Program then certain adjustments can be made to your Taxes'. Ouch, and the Nation toes the line as America, The Giant retreats and becomes insular.
It was only a question of time that his attention was going to veer towards Iran, and Iran is waiting 'Here puddy tat, here puddy tat', while Trump has a glorious vision of showing the military might of America and invites Us to the parade.
Let us think of our troops overseas who are protecting our welfare and safety.
How about the following from Trump: 'Folks, we are going to send some of our troops into the Sudan on a humanitarian mission and to end the Civil War'. This is known as Fake News, but it would be surprising and food for the soul for some of us. This American might even write a short letter of appreciation. and send it to The White House with a Forever stamp.
This is not going to happen and let us remember Puerto Rico. Do not let Trump feel boxed in, but those surrounding him in high power can tell this president 'You want War with Iran, Malta or North Korea? (pick any country), and add 'The choice is yours, Sir,' and remain silent while he debates the issue and chews the cud.
Trump is simply sending out a macho boast to his fans without having to worry if Congress will allow his decision to stand. He knows it won't. This is what he considers a win. His followers will NOT fact-check this. Count on it.
12
Typical Trump. Tell Congress to do something and then he will be critical if he doesn't like what they do. He can't figure out how to actually do anything except try to destroy anything done under the Obama administration for no good reason.
9
It's not legal for Trump orObama to pass laws via executive order. Iran and DACA are just two examples of executive order abuse. Trump is following the intent and spirit of our constitution by sending both of these issues back to congress where they belong. If he doesn't like any of the bills that produced he can veto them; or congress can pass them with veto proof majorities. This is how our government is supposed to work.
1
This isn't Vietnam. We don't have to burn down the village in order to save it.
I keep waiting for the action, or even the words, that "Make America Great Again", put "America First", "Keep America Safe, a tax reform that is going to benefit the poor and middle class, or even (tho I am totally opposed to it) the "Most Beautiful Wall Ever". The only differences between campaign Trump and Trump in office is that he is having to live in "that dump" in DC., his eyes are more squinty as he surveys "his kingdom" and his lower lip protrudes a bit more. The difference for America is that our water and air will be less viable, our educational system is in shambles, millions will die as health care costs soar, our pristine parks will be goldmines for a dying petroleum industry, we may be on the brink of nuclear war, we are alienating all our allies, our taxes are paying for golf weekends (and who knows what else as previous official events that were held in the White House or Camp David have relocated to MarAlago), White Supremacy and hate organizations are on the rise, police departments are being re-militarized, immigration is a mess, little is being done for affordable housing, FEMA is feeble and we cannot handle disasters, and agreements that were carefully hones to benefit us are in tatters, lead government positions are unfilled. REALLY cannot understand why Trump got elected, or why there are those who still support him. He only knows how to destroy. BUT he is happy...the news is all about HIM.
16
The Trump staff simply cannot keep this up...or rather keep propping their boss up. 3 more years of them having to watch him like a wounded bull in a china shop. Over explaining, every stupid word, tweets, unfounded claims, or blatant lies. Day after day, for a bit over 3 years. ??? They appear to be normal people, not all, but most of them, how long can they keep ignoring their personal ethical/moral codes, to deflect and cover for their boss's lies and irrationality?
How many more times can they say, "well he's the boss, he knows what he's doing." And mean it..? Then go home and say, "that was a good days work."
I have no doubt Kelly will quit, and soon. If he doesnt then all the kind and positive things said about him, simply can not be true. They too are lies.
I have no doubt that come the new year, there will be an exodus of WH staff.
13
Trump has no sense of history or decorum so one has to wonder why? Why is he always a 180 degrees out of phase with anything signed by Obama? If anybody watched Trump at the press dinner where Obama roasted him they would know where all of the animus for anything Obama.The humiliation Trump suffered at the hands of Obama has colored actions ever since he became president.Trump says the Nuclear Deal is one of the worst deals ever made when anybody who has followed Trump over the year knows he hasn't even read it.The demons that Trump carries from being humiliated by Obama get in the way of rational thought. If Trump is willing to get into a sophomoric battle with Corker over his comments it starting to look like he is willing to sack the world over Obamas.It has to rent space in his head that he was humiliated by a Blackman in front of the entire world.
19
This animus also explains his feud with the NFL. He saw the kneeling protests as a chance for him to humiliate the league for humiliating him years ago. He never forgets a slight and keeps the fires smoldering until he can "get even."
5
And there is not enough room in the whole universe for his ego. Morale depraved, a clear and present threat to our nation
5
Yes, I saw the humorous put down of Trump by Obama at the press dinner just a few years back. Obama was on a roll that night, being funny and most people who were the butt of the jokes in that atmosphere would have laughed good naturedly, even if they were seething inside. Trump did not do this, his seething all too apparent. Now he is getting his revenge, or so he thinks. What a small, vindictive man we have in the Oval Office.
"Moron" - Rex Tillerson, 08/2017
Anybody want to print some t-shirts ?
15
Donald Trump called this ‘The Worst Deal in US History’. The World sees Donald Trump as ‘The Worst President in US History’. The peoples of the Free World look down on the American people for choosing a LIAR, a CROOK, a CHEAT & a sexual PREDATOR as their despicable President.
26
It is time for this pretender and his minions Miller and Bannon to go, before they totally isolate the US.
13
Worst president ever.
24
Translation.
1. Obama name is on this nuclear deal so it needs to be ripped up.
2. If you Congress fails to draft another agreement I want... I'll scrap the agreement all together and blame you (Congress, the much hated Congress) for being dysfunctional and incompetent. Trump once assured everyone he didn't have to know much of anything to be President, he'd hire experts to do the heavy lifting. But the con-man who's way over his head, has selected the Republican control Congress as his experts or is Congress his patsy?
Disavowing the Nuclear Deal with Iran. How does this look to Kim Jong-un? How does this look to the Chinese? How will this motivate or leverage any influence U.S. thinks China has over North Korea? Everyone knows Trump is a pathological liar. The world knows Trump's Secretary of State isn't Mr. Rex W. Tillerson but Donald John Trump.
Nuclear Brinkmanship... as the world warily watch an emotionally unstable mad man controls a nation. Trump's acting Secretary of State Mr. Rex Tillerson called his boss a moron. Donald Trump is more than that, he's a low-down man. We are going to pay for this and ways we've never imagined.
Mr. Muller please, hurry up.
13
Letter to Kelly,
You know Donald J Chaos is not coming up with these arguments against the Iran deal. He is being fed this trash by extremists on the Right-wing. You need to pinch off these conduits of chaos. You and rex are trying to talk him down after he has been amp'd up by these people. This has got to stop.
16
How long are we going to let this president make Americans look like fools? Does anyone really believe the former administration of President Obama was so naive and out of touch with the world to agree to a bi-lateral nuclear deal that would put the world in jeopardy? Trump, and presumably some of his advisors, seem hell bent on disrupting world peace. How and when is this sabor-rattling administration going to stop antagonizing other world leaders? What is their goal?
12
Let us stop lying to ourselves and call it what it is.
This is yet another shameless, childish attempt by our immature "leader" Comrade Donald Trump, to get rid of or change everything and anything that has President Obama's name on it.
17
Wow such leadership to kick the issue to Congress
Not a day goes by that I miss my president......Barack Obama
18
What a spineless coward. Can't even own up to his own methodology.
18
And so, with a bombastic speech so full of lies, hyperbole, and omissions that it can only be labeled propaganda, Trump once again tramples the greater good in subservience of...what?
Ego?
Tillerson's supposed moronic epithet is understatement, but call him what you will, evil belongs in the lexicon.
13
I think it's all about Obama.
Trump has held a grudge ever since that correspondents dinner when Obama grilled him in the spirit of the evening.
Like an elephant...this President never forgets.
The Iran deal has Obama's fingerprints on it...and Trump does not want anything to do with it...and to dest'oy it if he can.
I also believe it possible that he hired woman in Russia to do stuff on the bed Obama slept in ...because it made him (the President) feel powerful.
It just seems like something he might do.
10
Experts believe Mr. Trump knows little of the particulars of the Iran Nuclear Accord, or arms control in general. Secondly, despite his boasts, there's no evidence he's a "master negotiator." He actually functions to undermine it, as he has with the Affordable Care Act, as with relief for Puerto Rico. And even the tax plan.
We learned his anger spiked when told "his" tax plan will harm the middle class----since ending state & local tax deductions hurts ordinary taxpayers. And then it was exposed he thought stock market profits could be used by the US Treasury to lower the deficit by trillions. Of course they cannot!!
Just as he wasn't aware the "TrumpCare" bill passed by the House that he celebrated in the Rose Garden was, as he later claimed, so "mean."
It's quite clear he doesn't read any of these bills, international agreements, healthcare aspects, hurricane relief updates, or tax plans.
Yet more profoundly, he doesn't care about being uninformed. Nor do GOP House & Senate leaders call on him to engage his comprehension, despite an exhausted nation observing an endless nightmare scenario day by day.
8
JoAnne,
Not reserved for "Experts". Unless you're willing to extend that category to anyone blessed with commonsense?
"...,Experts believe Mr. Trump knows little of the particulars of the Iran Nuclear Accord, or arms control in general."
The Iran treaty is not some little property deal to win. This is grown-up stuff and Trump is out of his league.
11
Here he goes - to war with Iran. Israel's Netanyahu can't wait to join him.
7
Who will now trust the word of the United States?
11
The worst President ever calls the Iran accord "The worst deal ever." it figures.
14
Trump's faults in that speech:
- calling the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf; the White House later fixed it!
- pouring out huge accusations against a sovereign nation
- failing to address the atrocities and terror funding of his allies!
To laugh or not to laugh, that's the question.
7
to cry.
2
"Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis argued that it was in the national security interests of the United States to keep the deal’s constraints on Iran. "
And who was against? The likes of Mark Leibowitz of so-called Defense of Democracy fame, perhaps our new Richard Perle?
6
It all makes sense if you think in terms of a religious "cleansing." I think "Christians" want to burn by fire as an act of redemption: Nuclear war is talked about like desert. The cherry on top will be our own head with eyeballs melting down our cheeks.
As an American, I'm surrounded by countless pillars of salt all looking over their shoulder. Next comes death.
3
This is the second multilateral agreement that Trump has withdrawn the United
States from in the nine months he has been president. As a result, the United States’ word now means nothing. He’s currently working on withdrawing from NAFTA and really dislikes NATO. Who is this man representing? It does not appear to be the United States of America.
11
It will now be illegal for Americans to do business with Iran, though it honors UN resolutions (Nuclear Agreement), yet on the other-hand, it will be illegal for Americans NOT to do business with Israel even when it rejects UN resolutions (End Occupation).
Netanyahu is leading Trump down a path not in the interest of America, and probably not in the interest of Israel.
5
Hey! Wouldn't be fun to disrupt the whole geopolitical world order, because anything Obama signed must be wrong and anything goes as long as you don't pay attention to details and facts? I wonder what this time will be called by historians? The (self)destructionism following post-modernism?
7
The United States has become a disgrace.
9
Looks like President Trump is causing another Californian Wildfire but much more destructive.
3
The rapture the Evangelicals are waiting for can't get here if Iran is unable to torch Israel with fire, brimstone and nuclear weapons. Therefore, Trump torches the Iran deal and get Iran pursuing and getting nuclear weapons - only to show his evangelical voter base that he is doing the best he can to bring Revelations on in this lifetime. His entire raison d'etre is to keep pumping up his base so that Republicans in Congress won't impeach him.
Unless he's found by Mueller to have done something incredibly bad, my view is that he skirts impeachment. I also think he will win the GOP nomination for 2020 because his base will come out and support his nomination (if there is a primary for the GOP).
3
I am sure Kim in North Koreans listening carefully: No deal with Trump can be trusted.
10
His mispronunciation of Tanzania does not inspire confidence.
3
Trump & Co.
When will Americans realize that the lunatics have taken over the asylum?
7
I really believe every American deservers the right to have a Minuteman III silo with a MIRV in his or her backyard, second amendment right?
This way if we don't want to listen to DJT, we can take out a whole country without this silliness of involving the congress or the cabinet. What do they know anyway?
Sound good to you? Libertarianism at its best!
Simple!
2
The worst president ever. Has no idea what constitutes the worst deal ever. The president is the embarrassment.
8
The real embarrassment is that 62,979,636 American voters freely voted for Trump. Trump's personality flaws and extreme policy plans were well known before the election. It seems to me that the deeper problem lies in the primary system that produced a candidate like Trump, and in the tribal loyalties that then induced GOP voters to support such a man in the election. There is blame a plenty on the Democratic side too.
1
Trump drscribed Iran as "... the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism".
Actually that would be Saudi Arabia.
12
All DT can do is destroy: trade agreements, international treaties and conventions, Paris, UN peacekeeping, international development and humanitarian assistance, dismantling of controls on environment, energy, financial institutions, draconian cuts in access to healthcare, children and women health services.
I can't think of a single positive idea for a measure to improve something coming from this terrifying monster of a human being
6
For a man who wrote a "best selling" book called "art of the Deal", Donald Trumps seems to know nothing of negotiations. In fact, I am having a difficult time believing he knows much about anything. Oh, and boy am I sick of winning.
6
Trump presented himself as a master negotiator who will get a better deal on a myriad agreements. The countries on the other side of the table see what he actually is: an ignorant blowhard who they will never renegotiate any existing agreement and never enter any new significant agreement in the future.
8
Since guns don't kill people, and only people kill people, then why are we concerned with what Iran does and North Korea do with regard to nuclear weapons? Perhaps the NRA will keep us all safe on this, by allowing the sale of nuclear weapons here — a ten-fold increase, like the one Mr. Trump said he wanted, before he said he didn't.
2
Trump is a befuddled mess. The guy simply is not competent enough to tie his shoes let alone run the country. Is it time for the Night of the Generals to take control of the situation. This scenario has been tried in other countries. It did not work out so well. Thanks America, you have really blundered this time.
DD
Manhattan
4
There are three sides in the nuclear deal: 1) the united states government, 2) the Iranian government and 3) the Iranian people. Often the third side (Iranian people) is ignored. The truth is that the nuclear deal has been beneficial for the USA, because it prevents the Iranian government develop nuclear bomb; it is beneficial for the Iranian government (: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) because the deal allows Iranian government sell its oil and get the money it needs to keep running (paying its troops; paying salaries and pensions); Finally the deal is NOT beneficial for the Iranian people and in fact the Iran deal is (as Trump says) A BAD deal but for the Iranian people simply because: 1) the oil money Iran gets in exchange of lifting the sanctions does not go for economic development; unemployment is rising; many employed workers receive their salaries sometimes six months or more in arrear; the oil money is rather spent in Syria and on the military forces and in particular the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps; and for developing nuclear energy that is NOT economic for Iran at all. The nuclear agreement is also a very BAD deal for the Iranian people because it ignores the violation of human rights by the clerical regime and the fact that the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps is in fact controling the government, economy, public media, foreign policy and is extremely aggressive towrds the Iranian people. The Nuclear deal is a very bad deal only for the Iranian people!
1
Trump's problem with the Iran agreement is that it doesn't bear His signature, and doesn't contribute to boosting His image.
But the adults in the White House (Kelly, Mattis and Tillerson) have told Him that it's an agreement between the UN and Iran, and His word and actions won't change it a lot. All they can do is erode America's standing as a reliable partner on the international scene, which is exactly what's happening right now.
39 more months to go ...
6
We have a pretty good idea of a future without this agreement and its called North Korea. Trump's distain for this agreement resembles that which Bush & Co. had for the Agreed Framework that the Clinton administration negotiated with North Korea in 1994. The US, as the stronger state, has to gain the trust of these so called rogue states if it wants them to cooperate. Breaking or demanding changes in negotiated agreements may be spun as strong America on the domestic front but it presents an image of an untrustworthy state internationally.
1
I'm waiting to hear that Gen. H.R. McMaster has resigned. How he can remain as national security adviser is a mystery to me.
4
I recognize that we are faced, at the present time, with one paramount political task. That task is seeing that Donald Trump is removed from office, that Pence is removed from office, that Bannon and the Mercers are denied any form of political influence which they might seek to exploit. Oops, that's not "one paramount task," but four of them. It is to facilitate these tasks, that solidarity would normally appear to be essential. Nothing about the present situation, however, is normal.
In addressing the disaster that is Trump, we need to ask how this disaster came about, and how we may have courted it. We could start by recognizing that making sure our people have jobs is not something that should be condemned as "economic nationalism." Of course we must also recognize that Trump's promises in this regard are meaningless, as he is a pathological liar.
We should further recognize that the "Globalism" which mesmerizes the Frequent Flyer Class is part and parcel with the agenda of transnational corporations which, at this stage in the evolution of Capitalism, are well on their way to replacing the political nation-state as the dominant institutions of this "post-modern" world.
Lastly, we must recognize that Iran has yet to be punished for the Embassy-Hostage affair of 1979-80. For this I chiefly blame two Presidents -- Carter and Reagan. Of course Trump is nothing but an incompetent windbag, but this is an issue we have handed to him on a platter.
1
The bottom line is the JCPOA has much greater significance to US national security and that of the Middle East. It is a shame reporters concentrate on their own shallow reasoning in assuming Democrats act merely to keep a legacy intact and not out of concern for a larger, sensible goal of nuclear non-proliferation.
It is false equivalence to describe Democrats in Congress as protecting a legacy to counter the Republican dishonest talking points of the JCPOA being a bad deal and who are actually trying to dismantle the former president’s legacy. Trump and Republicans in Congress are not acting in the best interests of this country or Americans in their spiteful, vengeful, thoughtless, and potentially harmful acts.
2
How incredibly stupid and damaging. Trump's Department of State recently certified that Iran is living up to the terms of the nuclear deal. Now Trump refuses to re-certify it. So, according to his own Administration he had no grounds to refuse to re-certify it. In so doing, he has harmed relations with the other world powers that partnered with us in pressuring Iran to negotiate the deal. And, he just convinced North Korea that they could not trust Trump to honor a deal about their nuclear arms even if they honored it. Smart!
We must get this fools fingers off the nuclear buttons.
4
Trump is what Putin wanted and Putin got.
Hatred of Obama and his poise, diplomacy, ambience, intelligence, and ability to demonstrate at the same time all the qualities of a devoted parent and family man while leading the world's greatest country into recovery from a devastation wrought by his predecessor both economically and politically has proven to be the undoing of a once strong political party.
The question now is, how do we extricate ourselves from this mess we find ourselves in?
Is it possible to remedy this comedy of errors and how quickly can we accomplish it?
And yes, we must remove this cancer from office, the situation becomes more dire every day.
6
“What’s done is done,” Mr. Trump said, “and that’s why we are where we are.”
There's still the 25th Amendment to be invoked.
It's all that I want for Christmas
5
What Trump dislikes most about the Iran deal is his mental image of pallets of cash being delivered to the Iranians, It's his visual imagination that steams him up, especially after the false claim he made about seeing a video of those bucks being delivered. He'd love to take a nap on that particular pile of cash, after which he might be tempted to simply roll around in the dough. Such behavior would fit nicely into a life with gold sinks.
2
Classic Trump. Keeping us all hanging while he makes careless judgments on crucial decisions. It is unclear whether he can grasp what "nuclear" even means.
5
The Republicans are at it again. As I remember, Nixon remained in Viet Nam because otherwise the word of the United States would not be respected and that was sooooo important. Trump doesn't seem to care so what's the story?
1
So Trump accuses not only Obama, but the leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany of having been dumb enougjh to accept "the worst deal ever"?
Since Democrats support the deal, since most Republicans dont want to end it, since within the WH there is disagreement, does any one in his right mind would not at least wonder whether he is the only person who has it right.
And whether insulting our best friend's and allies's intelligence is really that smart?
4
Clearly Trump has never heard of (or understood) the saying: "Let sleeping dogs lie".
1
Trump is not acting in the best interests of the USA or in the interest of world peace. Rather he is once again dog-whistling to his radical anti Muslim base by attacking Iran. Throughout the world only the Saudis and Israelis are opposed to the Iran treaty, because of their cravenly selfish desire to weaken a regional opponent, regardless of the global importance of this treaty. Trump's actions also make it next to impossible to negotiate with North Korea and other countries seeking nuclear weapons by destroying the reputation of the USA as a credible negotiating partner.
4
We need a new president! We need a new Congress. Can you imagine a WW III scenario. How would our current leadership avoid the loss of millions of American lives? This country is being led down the isolationist path AT HOME AND ABROAD, and nobody in government is concerned about anything except partisan blame.
We are witnessing divide and conquer government at its best!
4
Trump knows he is going down in the Russian scandal and the vindictive man is going to hurt people on his way out the door in Puerto Rico and California and with nuclear calamity in North Korea and Iran and by taking healthcare away from millions of people.
5
Another very bad decision to please our friends in the region, like the one W Bush did invading Iraq without a clear reason and based on lies! Our interests should come first according our Constitution.
1
One by one, he is destroying the delicate ropes of check and balances. I see USA as country to be followed by others. But recent activities of present government want to loose this tag. God bless citizens of USA.
3
Wow, and we're supposed to be a nation of gun lovers.
Mr Trump hater most things, except himself. He really, really loves himself.
7
I agree...but sometimes I think, when he is all alone (which is seldom because it frightens him) he self-loathes.
1
This is the worst deal ever, the Russians did not interfere in the election, white supremacist are the same as those who oppose them, the tax plan has no cuts for the rich, Obama Care is a disaster. See a pattern here, all lies with no solution.
15
What do you expect, he goads a North Korean head of state as the North Koreans threaten everyone with an atmospheric nuclear test. He practically threatens to grow our nuclear arsenal to an unprecidented size. Now he gives Iran every reason to begin building it's own nuclear arsenal once again. I guess we are all "just supposed to relax and learn to love the bomb" again huh Strangelove. You all gave him the briefcase and the codes.
6
This isn't the first time that Trump spoke without actually understanding and knowing what he is talking about. He really has no idea what iran nuclear deal is all about. He can simply withdraw U. S. but it doesn't completely dismantle the deal as he calls it. America wasn't the only participant, other countries are staying in and reaffirming and honoring their agreement with Iran.
One by one, trump is dismantling, or trying to dismantle president Obama's accomplishments, but he doesn't realize, with every step, he is becoming less popular, and showing his true character.
9
Trump is playing hard ball trying to get some concessions out of Iran. If he just rolled-over and signed off on the certification, Iran would have no incentive to do anything different with their missiles, projecting power in the Middle East, etc. His toughness also shows US credibility with the Saudi's and our other friends who fear Iran and look to America for support.
1
No doubt Saudi Arabia will like Trump's tough talk, but they've been just as aggressive as Iran, namely in their proxy-wars countering Iran in Yemen, Syria, and the blockade of Oman. Is it worth risking a nuclear-capable Iran just to cozy up to a similarly destabilizing state? Stability comes from economic progress and social moderation, not projection of military power.
3
What is it that makes you think Iran should sit there like a tethered goat while the US arms Saudi Arabia and the GCE countries to the hilt, surrounds it with US bases on every single side?
As for US credibility with the Saudi's - Trump has dishonored the memory of US victims of terror by kissing up to the country that was home to 15 of the 19 9/11 attackers as well as the San Bernardino attackers.
3
Trumps only negotiating tactic thus far has been to demand the other side give him everything he wants - while also not ever really detailing exactly what it is that he wants. And then he throws his hands up in befuddlement when the other side does not agree.
Iran should follow the house of Saud's lead and tell trump to send his sons in to set up a bunch of hotels and golf courses.... Then suddenly Trump would consider Iranians great people just like the Saudi's.... and promptly offer them 10 billion dollars worth of the most advanced weapons america has....... of course only after the Iranians again follow the Saud's lead and "donate" 100 million dollars to Ivanka's "charity".....
How is that for US credibility?
3
We need what we are not getting and can’t from Trump. We need our allies and also the countries we disagree with but have diplomstoc channels with. We need the behind the scene diplomatic channels with Iran to be maintained. If they have complied to an extent have we used the channels to inform them that their other actions are jeopardizing things. The GOP can not provide any leadership. Reagan, any Bush, Ford would have been better. The Dems, Clinton, Carter, Obama - all better
Trump needs to go.
4
Yet another example of how much worse Trump is than we could have possibly imagined prior to November. In my 48 years I've never felt the need to check to news so frequently; just to make sure WWIII didn't start while I was dropping off my drycleaning.
44
This country should not be the world's superpower. Our federal government routinely acts in ways that are destructive to every living creature on planet earth--wars, bombs, military pollution, destruction of the environment, mealy-mouthed enforcement of laws when the poor are victimized, or when children are victimized. The powerful do whatever they want with little to no accountability--from sexual assaults to thievery of wages from workers to financial skulduggery. Trump is just the exemplar and symptom. We have not had a functioning Congress for at least 8 years, if not 16. It is time for a new revolution, or like all empires that are riven from within, we may find an outside enemy takes advantage of our weakness and destroys us from without.
14
Iran has taken a lead role in the fight against ISIS.
Iran helped resist the invasion of Southern Lebanon by Israel.
Iran is standing up for the human and legal rights of the Palestinian people.
Iran is helping to resist regime change in Syria by foreign powers.
Iran is helping to resist the Saudi slaughter of Shias in Yemen.
...... and Trump demonizes Iran.
37
Is this the first time ever we've had a president primarily driven by grudges?
12
No, it isn't. But does that matter? What makes Trump's grudges more egregious is that they are usually based not on substance, but on perceived personal slights. Stated "otherwise" (ahem), he seems to harbor his most consuming grudges against people who fail to see him as he sees himself -- a legend in his own mind.
2
Arthur Neville Chamberlain, he was the gentleman that tried diplomacy with Adolph Hitler and got completely misled by Hitler that used lies and misrepresentation only to buy time and build a powerful army almost impossible to stop.
This is exactly what Iran is doing, what will happen in around 9 years from now when Iran is free of any nuclear obligation? There are many multinationals companies that are only thinking in the short term in realising some quick profit and dealing with the Iranian government that is full of cash with the deal they got, those companies are putting pressure in their governments to keep the deal and not giving any thoughts about the day after.
So I really have some doubts about the all thing specially with Iran having boots all over the middle-east right now.
1
You may be wrong : Then what
2
This is just Israel wagging the dog again. Israel wants every state in the region to be destabilized so it can continue its illegal expansion. Europe needs to stand strong with Russia and China and disavow Israel completely.
11
And US media is all too willing to ignore the elephant in the room. All that investment in media companies is paying off all too well.
"OO" (Obama Obsession) will ultimately be Trump's downfall and Robert Mueller.
5
"Congress is deeply divided on the deal" & "Democrats are equally determined to preserve ... " Oh really? I think you better check with Schumer, whose firmly against it .. also the last time Iran shot off a missile, 98 members of the Senate voted to reimpose some sanctions. It's The USA, Israel, & Saudis against the whole world. If Congress specifically the Senate votes to kill the pact and impose sanctions, rather then just leave it be for now; we should change the name of this country to The Republic Of Israel, since that's whose pulls their puppet strings.
Deep thinking people work for years to come up with something that benefits everyone, and makes the world a better place, and Trump, who doesn't have a clue as to what's involved, or knows nothing about the details, tries to destroy it with the wave of a hand. What a disgrace this country has become.
Orange, NJ
10
Trump is destroying American credibility and standing in the world. He has achieved nothing positive during his eight months in office. He keeps bumbling along in his vengeful way, making one bad move after another, destroying healthcare for many and messing up the Iran agreement. When will the Republicans admit his dangerous incompetence and get rid of him.
9
trump is delivering the bannon isolationist nationalist credo. He doesn't care about the international outcomes. bannon's idea of party loyalists makes the Tea Party look like Democrats. And their politics will be our Fahrenheit 451.
Instead, trump is setting the election criteria for 2018 and 2020. By destroying any Obama era global achievement that binds the USA in a global partnership, he is serving a menu for the next two and subsequently, four years. Either you get on board or bannon will pursue you in your next election and cut you out of the party. bannon couldn't do this as a member of the administration, hence his fake imbroglio exit. That was this administration's fake news just to get bannon out of the WH and onto the campaign trails; fakely separating him from trump.
Unless the GOP takes these matters seriously and deals with their narcissistic fascist imposter before 2018 mid-terms, the USA will have a financially crippled health carrier market, an increased national debt, reduced federal revenues, a silenced main stream media, and be engaged in a war, ultimately dragging the US into an economic downhill slide.
And trump will be reelected with bannon's team in the House and Senate. If that does not frighted you, then nothing will.
9
President Trump looks for business opportunity in every deal. If his family members were given lucrative business opportunities in Iran, he would quickly change his position. I am surprised that Iran has not done this.
8
With this, and in the ending of the insurance subsidy, Trump is saying to Congress, "You want this thing, you got to prove it by working together."
Has Trump ever stated what he doesn’t like about the deal, other than that it is embarrassing and terrible?
6
He never explains anything because he never understands anything.
Except that Obama did it so it must be undone. He's mentally ill.
19
You know, if we just all changed the channel to something other than this absurd reality show, his brand would wither. And we would all be more sane, and I could finally get some sleep.
4
Not possible. Trump, like Obama, is expert at polarizing the nation on the wedge issues. Any neutral ground long ago fell through the cracks.
It would be nice to have Iran put it to the US-Israel team. They could do so by becoming the leader of a movement to ban nuclear weapons.
5
The “worst deal ever” Mr. Trump, was your election and until your impeachment or criminal prosecution most of us Americans and patriotic citizens have to suffer through your misguided attempts at governance and rational behavior.
13
In a nutshell, Trump seems to be defining his tenure in the White House by simply eradicating the previous administrator's accomplishments, but not going so far as to actually replace them with one of his own. His "work" involves signing executive orders that erases someone else's. Trump is fast establishing the most pointless, laziest Presidency ever.
14
If Trump orders a nuclear strike, for which he is not required to seek or take counsel, the only way he can be stopped is if somebody fairly far down the chain of command is willing to die, and the rest of the people in the room aren't willing to kill him (or her) and take over. Every day I get to thinking it's more than likely that he will be unwilling to resist the nuclear trigger. After all he loves big bombs.
Trump loves to start conflicts and play people against each other. That way, his obvious inferiority stays in the background. This is his idea of cleverness.
But those bombs, my opinion, he's itching to use one. Every day things get a little worse, but that is a big one and it's all too likely. He's dangerously out of control, and it's time that his enablers realize there is no good ending here, and he needs a leash. Personally, I think a nice long jail sentence might teach him a few good home truths about crime and punishment, which he seems to have missed when he was growing up.
11
Trump slammed Obama for his use of executive orders in the past.
Now he's doing the same, twice as many so far!
6
There's no strategy, no foresight here, just Trump being Trump acting out of personal affront and pique.
The day-care attendants talked him down, persuaded him to punt to congress as he did with the Dreamers. But this is not governing. This is craziness, barely contained.
Former Trump believer Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) is the canary in the Trump madness coal mine. His colleagues have no ears and no tongues. For shame.
Party over country. Disgraceful, arguably treasonous.
10
Trump is not capable of performing the duties of his office. This is not going to change. HE IS INCOMPETENT. Duh.
10
With Trump, so far, so good.
1
It proves that a fool destroys in a day what a wise man took years to build.
16
Mr. Trump doesn't care about anything, he plays the media like a cheap ukelele and he makes brash bold statements that if anyone carefully followed them to their fruition they would see that the majority if them are handed off to Congress to actually make a decision on. But MAN did he get his base of three hundred excited!!!! you bethcha and somebody told him he was doing great so what more does a 5th grader need, your trophy is at the end of the hall little boy
7
Trump speaks complete sentences for the first time. He reads a script prepared by Jared and Bibi from a teleprompter.
So refreshing to see him appearing to be in command of the english language.
Too bad the content stunk.
6
"There is nothing more dangerous than ignorance armed with power."--Voltare
21
Applies to Trump as well as to us Americans at large.
2
Sorry Donald, but did you mean "Israel First" or "America First"? Seems like there's been a change!
15
Worst President ever.
19
Well, of course. Trump says he doesn't like the agreement, then throws it over the wall to Congress. That way he can play both sides of the fence, criticize whatever policy is finalized, take credit for being hard on "Terrorist Iran", and find a way to be "right" whatever happens. Sounds a lot like leaving responsibility for Afghan policy to the generals. Or leaving healthcare bill responsibility to congress. He's played both sides against the middle and made up the corresponding narrative all his life and got away with it. Who's going to call him on it this time?
8
The question has to carried, can a US President bring down the country with his actions or weaken it. How was Trump elected. A great novel perhaps.
4
So Iran is in compliance with the terms of the agreement and yet; despite their compliance, Trump effectively will unilaterally nullify the agreement and by doing so open the door to Iran's development of a nuclear weapon. And what do we have then? You guessed it! Another North Korea.
13
Iran and North Korea have figured out how to beat nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
The Iran Approach is to sequentially develop duel use nuclear technology to a very high level, use the threat of weapons development to break economic sanctions, then pause the nuclear path and work on ballistic missiles. Once the missiles are sufficiently capable, they will rapidly restart the nuclear weapons program and marry the two capabilities.
The DPRK Approach is different. They initially used conventional weapons aimed at Seoul to prevent a U.S. strike. They then simultaneously developed both the nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles to deliver them.
In both cases, they had the help of sponsors (e.g. Russia and China) and the ability to repress their own population and resist economic pressure.
The fact that both approaches have been or will soon be proven effective is frightening. It will shatter the foundation of the current global order, which is built on the financial and conventional military power of the U.S.
Any dictator worth his/her salt is now planning to follow the lead of Iran and North Korea.
The age of rapid nuclear proliferation and authoritarianism has begun in earnest. And there is nothing that the U.S. or any other Western nation can do about it. This is very unfortunate.
4
The consequences of this man remaining in office seem to grow more dire by the day.
30
It appears this is not manageable even by the adults, it is insanity. It is very disturbing that the power of just one of Trump's insecurities totally over rides reason, like an uncontrollable drug addiction, Trump irrationally ignores the advice of his Generals not to tamper with the Iran Nuclear Agreement because it is in our national security interests. But unfortunately Trump cannot overcome his manic obsessive Obama envy of Obama's proven competence and achievements vs his own proven lack of competence and accomplishment. Trump maniacally must remove all evidence of Obama’s existence. However, the security interests of our nation and its people are far more important than the manic insecurities of any President, unfortunately it is time for a mental health intervention of the increasingly dangerously unhinged Trump.
22
Go ahead, Pres. Trump, kick this hot potato over to Congress. Trump knows that Congress is Occupied Terroritory and Congress will let the Iran deal fail. But Trump feels he will not be to blame when it does. Already, just since the signing of this Iran Nuclear Deal Congress has imposed at least one but I believe 2 sets of additional sanctions against Iran. Seems it is the U.S. that is in violation of the spirit of the Iran nuclear deal.
7
Why did Trump bring up the issue on Friday, the 13th of October 2017?
4
Please report on any treaty or agreement in place before January 2017 that the President thinks is tolerable. That would be front page news!
6
We are experiencing a "cold war" between srael and Iran. Israel already has enough nuclear power to blow up the world. Why don't we admit it
11
Let’s see - If agrees to stop being the leader of the Shi’a world and to accept Saudi hegemony in the Islamic world, would that be sufficient? No, not enough. If they agree to stop being a nation at all? No, not enough. If they agree to also have no history, including its recent abuse by the USA through the widely hated Shah of Iran? No, we already expect them to accept that anyway. How about no heritage as a great civilization? No, we don’t know enough about human history to even be aware of that.
The simple answer is that Iran could never satisfy the Saudis, the Israelis or the USA with any deal. My guess is that they will take the pragmatic course by ignoring us and our buddies, live within or outside the terms of the nuclear agreement as they see the most benefit to themselves and build up their conventional forces to protect themselves until such time as they are positioned to proceed with the fastest possible break-out to build a true deterrent - a nuclear capability.
9
Posture, then punt - we`ve seen this page of the playbook before. Tired of all that winning yet?
11
It's really very simple: It's the worst deal ever BECAUSE Obama made it. Trump was humiliated by Obama and Trump has never forgiven him, and will never forgive him. This has nothing to do with Trump's incompetence or that he is a mean-spirited, child-like jerk, which is true enough, but not relevant. The right wing of the Republican party has their standard bearer-President, after so much "suffering" under Obama, and look how he acts.
But in reality Trump is without a "Party," because he is only for himself and his family and represents no one else. Thank goodness he is a weak person under it all, and keeps handing the hard work back to Congress, which is at least a collection of weak people.
10
Trump is simply doing the bidding of SA and Israel. Given the financial dealing of himself, his business interests, his daughter and son-in-law involving Saudis and Israelis, one must question whether Trump is placing personal profit and interests above those of the nation. Of course, everyone, except those chicken hawks, already knows the answer.
11
Excellent post, if any of you (American ) even care , go in these websites If America knew, stop the blank check, Haaretz.com. All the names and players are their, small group of Jews and yes crazy fake evangelical christians are the trouble makers. Trump has nothing , NOTHING to do with this.
1
Do you realise that he his the worst ennemy of America. It is affecting all americain because no one will trust america in the future. Down of the Americain empire.
6
He just pointed Iran in the same direction as North Korea.
6
I am weary of all the whip-sawing of the so-called President's brain. He has a pattern: he says something extravagantly stupid/provocative/ridiculous and all the news sources react. People then react to the reactions and we're off. Then, guess what, he doesn't do what he has said because he can't or never intended to or doesn't care or has spoken in ignorance.
Please.
Why not just let him quietly disappear for a news cycle. Maybe he's like a fire- without the oxygen of attention, it goes out.
5
And just when we aren't looking he impulsively pushes the button.
If we ignore him he will act like any 5 year old and throw the worlds biggest tantrum which we could then end up being even worse off.
2
He does just enough to support a lie that he tosses to his base. Ignorant people will buy the lie and presumably keep Trump and his ilk in public office. Hopefully enough people will come to see through the tall tales about what he has "accomplished."
4
Trump’s so desperate he’s just trying to hang onto his base. Trump offers his base, Neo Nazi apologies, pardons Sheriff for targeting people of color, chiefly Hispanics, and now the Neo Cons, promises to what? Invade Iran? Keep in mind Israel's most decorated soldier, former defense minister, and prime minster, Ehud Barak is for keeping the Iran nuclear deal in place.
Ultimately, like so many of Trump's window dressing attempts to appear relevant to his chattering class this nonsensical effort will too pass. All Iran has to do is know that if they comply with their side of the deal the other parties will stay the course and threats aside, Iran can readily see that Trump does not have the support of a majority of the American people. Congress is all thumbs under Republican majority rule, utterly hilarious. How’s that “Infrastructure Week” doing for ya?
After all, time and time again, just like a majority of Americans don’t want Obamacare to be eliminated, equally American people have told Congress no more wars for Israel's imperialism. Casting Iran as a bad actor doesn't negate nor erase Israel's apartheid system for the Palestinians.
9
so it's still a deal, but Trump feels better now.
he is such a simpleton.
10
Every day I wake up and expect to discover that this man has begun the final leg of destruction to the planet. With people like Kelly, Mattis and Tillerson there might have been a chance we could have minimized that occurrence. After watching the Kelly conference yesterday, that seems to be less of a probability. When he and Tillerson feel it necessary to appear before the camera and defend the president, they seem like hostages to madness.
20
Fine. Iran will go nuclear, then Saudi Arabia in response and Trump will have created a nuclear Middle East. Perfect.
11
Donald cannot give a clear explanation of what he's trying to accomplish here because he doesn't understand any more about this than he does about healthcare, which is absolutely nothing. This is dangerous because he is at the mercy of whichever ideologue is better at manipulating his vindictive nature at any given moment.
13
Whew! Just when we thought it was safe to let The Donald speak as our POTUS again, we find out he almost gave back the tons of enriched uranium they need to actually BUILD an atomic bomb.
It's those eensy-weensy little irritating details that the president needs just a tiny reminder of before he blows the entire earth into oblivion.
Thank you Mr Tillerson and Mr Mattis. Please remind him not to tweet the launch codes, too.
14
Trump continues to move to isolate the United States from the rest of the world--including its allies.
19
It's reached the point where I now consider it a good news day if there is only one infuriating Trump news story instead of five.
13
For all you Corker boosters, he is carrying Trump's water on the new legislation.
Corker says that Trump is "unstable" and leading us down "a path to WWIII" so why would he, Corker, look to aid and abet Trump with this charade when the Iranians are in compliance?
Because Corker is a Republican, and it's always party before country.
9
Two - important - asides on a truly dreadful act by DJT.
1) No-one now has any reason to believe that the US will stand by its agreements no matter what the issue or the importance. Believe me this impression will last a long time and the US will pay a high price for DJT's caprices.
2) Kicking "difficult" decisions on issues like DACA and Iran to Congress esp. when done by such a boorish and unqualified President must surely have longer-term implications for the office of the Presidency itself.
12
Why should North Korea make deals with a country that won't honor the ones that it has made?
The world knows that Iran has lived up to the deal it signed up for. Trump can complain about the quality of the agreement, but that is in the past. Either the US has integrity or it doesn't. With Trump we know that the US doesn't. Beware Canada and Mexico, when it comes to trade, you can no longer trust the USA.
This is the problem with the Republican Party and the President they support. They don't believe that America has obligations as a country. They don't believe in anything but autocratic power on a whim.
10
Is Trump working for American interests or for Israel. His decisions to quit UNESCO and withdraw from the Iranian deal fit perfectly Israel's objectives.
Not so sure America wins at the end.
7
Where is the evidence that Iran is violating the Iranian deal? Please someone enlighten me.
8
Trump is good at stirring the pot and if an activity wasn't under his aegis, then it must destroyed. He then passes his mess on to Congress, the members of which are as paralyzed as Trump in actually living up to the responsibilities of their respective offices. Appalling beyond anything Anyone could have imagined for our Nation. Everyday is another nightmare. When will the "responsibility shirker in chief" pay for his transgressions?
5
So, Trump doesn't believe the Iran deal is certifiable. Ironic given the fact that he certainly is.
9
It seems Trump only wants to undo everything accomplished during the Obama Administration. So suppose the Iran deal goes away. Iran and North Korea get together and assist each other. We end up with two rogue nuclear powers with grudges against the United States. Exactly how does this enhance the security of the United States, especially those of us within the expected range of a N Korean nuclear missile?
5
With so many backflips on issues Trump will require regular visits to a chiropractor
3
Can anyone doubt that Trump must be pushed out due to endangering the country and failure to execute the duties of his office competently? He is acting in defiance of the advice of his own national security team and increasing the chances of nuclear war with not one, but two hostile nations. Where is the Congress? Can't they act to override this craziness and save the US from becoming the new world pariah? If we ever had a chance to negotiate with North Korea we just lost it, along with our national credibility. The "full faith" of the United States is irrevocablyt damaged if this is allowed to stand.
12
He is acting in accord of the advice of his own national security team, not against it. This was a terrible accord to start with, with zero backbone and zero possibility of enforcement. Read it.
2
Republicans may complain in private but they won't do anything.
1
Sec. Mattis testified that the deal is in the national security interests of the United States. Read it.
1
The deal should be scrapped altogether. There is no reason why Iran can't have nuclear weapons in the first place. Neither Trump or Obama should have attempted to play world police. Pakistan is arguably more Islamic and more conducive of terrorism than Iran, and nobody protests their nukes.
Despite America's protests, Iran has been a relatively responsible player in the region. Whatever terrorism they fund is mostly partisan fighters limited to the Middle East, against neighboring partisans, not westerners. This is hardly any different than America's funding of partisans in central America.
7
Ask any of the bankers, construction companies, investors or anybody else involved in Trump's Atlantic City escapes.
They'll tell you pretty quickly that the "worst deal ever" was the deal they made to do any business with Trump.
16
Iran is being demonized for supporting those committed to protecting the human and legal rights of the Palestinian people, and those committed to resisting American hegemony in their lands.
Something wrong with that?
9
Scraping the deal was the right move. If we learn one thing from 25 years of deals with North Korea it is that they don't work. North Korea took the money and developed nuclear weapons and missles with our aid. Iran is doing the same. Iran got $150 billion in the worst deal ever. They continue to shout death to America and Israel as their nuclear program progresses. Pelosi and company are all that is wrong with our government. They believe in kicking the can down the road. They want to bargain with the devil. When will these cowards learn that you can't make deals with terrorists? President Trump will have to make a hard choice soon, because others refused to take action when they should have. Do we really let these two rogue nations develop nuclear missiles capable of destroying our cities and killing tens of millions? In my mind this issue should have been dealt with long ago. The threat they pose is 100 fold greater than Iraq or Afghanistan ever was.
2
Forget the “death to America “ slogans they shout. Anyone who has had any dealings with Iranians in Iran will tell you that they like nothing better than to have close and friendly relations with Americans. They admire us and our culture. Rather than obsessing over the politicians it is better to put in place policies that will reach out to the citizenry and create a groundswell of demand which will ultimately lead to normalization of relations.
7
Iran has kept its part of the deal. If US breaks it then Iran will be under no obligation to adhere to the agreement. No nation, including allies, will be able to trust an agreement with the US in the future.
2
Donald Trump is courageously refusing to kill the Iran deal while hoping the Republican Congress kills it for him.
If he actually had convictions, he'd say, "I'm killing this deal," or he'd say, "I support this deal."
Trump got the paper bag, filled it, set it on fire, and rang Congress' doorbell. BRAVE!
7
This is the worst deal ever?
I thought NAFTA was the worst deal ever.
13
There are so many deals - it gets very confusing, EV, and tough for a guy who doesn't really know anything about any of them to say which one is the worst.
4
It seems that liberals are criticizing President Trump because "the buck should stop with him".
What would liberals say if President Trump would start bypassing Congress and start legislating with "executive actions"? (As some recent presidents have done.)
They would say that Trump is an authoritarian who doesn't respect the constitutional separation of powers. They would say that he is fascist menace who must be deposed for the good of our democracy.
Come on, you know it's true.
4
FYI: Bush signed 36.4 executive orders a year, on average. Obama 34.6.
Trump is already at 67.5, in other words twice as much.
And that, indeed, is one of the reasons why he has historically low approval rates and is already being called an authoritarian by many Americans.
7
Exactly. They are hypocrites, nothing more.
2
Ana Luisa:
You are correct about the executive orders. But let's face it, most of his order are minor and inconsequential at best and silly at worst. Moreover, some of his executive orders are simply reversing some of Obama's executive orders.
People who call Trump an authoritarian don't understand the meaning of the word. Trump has already lost a number of battles to both the legislative and judicial branches. He is being investigated by a special prosecutor who he could fire if he wanted. Authoritarians would never accept such constraints on power.
People may call him many things, some of them justified, but authoritarian is certainly not one of them.
Lowering the hysterics and hyperbole would be especially valuable at this time.
1
Iranian speed boats do not race along California coastline but along Persian Gulf.
American snipers take out Iranian politicians not the reverse.
8
Money Trumps Morals
In Trumps myopic business world there is no morality, no honesty, no humanity. It's all about making outrageous deals to feed his ego..... and leaving other lesser people holding the bag.
4
Let’s face it, this is government by “I know what I do not want and I cannot tell you what I do want”. Be it Obamacare, the Iran deal, immigration or tax reform, Mr Trump can only articulate opposition to current policy because it is easier to defend than developing and implementing policy.
Mr Trump is actively undermining the prior administration’s policy without offering alternatives and the party he represents has no unifying ideology and has adopted the mantle of ideological purity which precludes compromise.
Mr Trump’s plan is to tell us what is a failure and what is a success with little regard for the facts.
In his view, even though the Iran deal has frozen their nuclear weapon development, it is “the worse deal ever!” What he does not mention; in order to get a new deal, Trump would have to reassemble the embargo coalition which drove the original deal. This includes Russia, China and the European allies which may or may not be inclined to have a “do over”.
My guess, without concessions on Ukraine, NATO, EU expansion, South China Sea control and Taiwan, it is unlikely.
10
President Trump is to be commended for his speech on Iran. Things need to be shaken up in the middle east and President Trump is the man to do the shaking up. The president is obligated to do something as at recent meeting of American generals he said "This is the calm before the storm" and a storm is needed.
3
Shaking up a situation that didn’t call for it is how we got where we are.
7
Many commentator here see short term effect of today's decertification, however what today marks is the end of promoting and support for fanatic regimes in Middle East. As he mentioned since 1978, West neglected and some times supported political Islam regimes to curb Soviet and draw a Green Belt around Soviets. Today is nail on coffin of last Islamic political systems. It was timely to cut Iran from Iraq and future secular Kurdistan. As of today, IRGC is preparing to invade Sunni Iraq and Kurdish areas. This will put a brake for now and would let people of Iran to rise up if they want to.
Unfortunately, many commentators here under pseudo names, make comments to support Iran. The real issue with Iran is Persian speaking Iranian outside Iran who tacitly support Iran by non-linear warfare in media and academics. We saw that when all Iranians pour into airports to protest travel ban. Do not remember , 65% of Iran is non-Persian speaking and they are ready to rise up due to discrimination and racial policies of dominant ethnic Persians.
Mr. Trump's action will bear fruit in less than two years and it is not just for short-sighted purposes.
3
Not only will America be isolated but Iran will now move to exploit that isolation by dealing directly with the counterparties and the UN. Watch also for Iran to cut some sort of ME deal independently.of the US in order to complete the US's isolation - and humiliation.
Well played Vlad.
10
His spite, ignorance, and utter cluelessness seem to have morphed into active malevolence, towards the American people and the world. His only goal in life is to undo Obama's presidency. And what's more, I'd put down good money he doesn't have the least idea what the deal does or how its repeal would affect the world -- or for that matter care. What a shame.
18
I wonder if Trump has ever even read the deal.
19
We don't really need to wonder, John. It's over 2 pages long. We know he hasn't.
4
Trump hates the Iran deal because Stephen Miller (or one of Trump's Saudi handlers) told him to hate it. It really is that simple, because Trump is an easily-manipulated simpleton. Whisper a complement in his ear, follow it with a "policy" stance, and voila! Angry Trump tweet. Regardless, America's Saudi boot-licking is shameful and embarrassing and it always has been.
13
The message to the world is clear. The word of the US when it comes any treaty or agreement is not worth the paper it is written on. Trump has in one stroke undermined any moderates in Iran. Why bother negotiating agreements. In the case of NAFTA the US wants to limit it to 5 years and remove third party arbitration in trade disputes.
The only thing that is of any value to foreign governments are to arrange private personal deals with Donald Trump. They may not fare any better than formal treaties and agreements but the have the advantage for Trump and fellow authoritarians the advantage of lack of transparency and democratic accountability.
10
George:
Right idea, but wrong president.
You used the word "treaty", but in the case of the Iran deal, that isn't correct. President Obama deliberately avoided the term "treaty" so that he could bypass Congress.
So the correct lesson to all foreign parties to "deals" with the U.S. is that unless they are approved by Congress, they can be as easily undone as they are done.
2
He has moved us back into the time when the treaty with Indians were broken before the ink dried, so are we now doing the same world wide basis or is it because of his hate and bigoted views about 44 ?
He said "treaty or agreement". And he is right. The word of the US means...nothing after this.
We are moving toward a new version of political polarization and Trump is doing the moving. We are moving towards a US-Israel-Saudi pole and a pole that represents the rest of the civilized world.Things do NOT look good.
6
"Mr. Trump declared his intention not to certify Iran’s compliance with the agreement."
HIS intention ?
5
Anyone want to lay odds on whether Mr. Trump has ever read the one-hundred forty pages that lay out the multi-lateral accord with Iran to contain their nuclear program? Even better, what are the chances he has any clue as to what that accord says, or means to the world.
Mr. Trump condemned the accord before he ever had the clearance to be briefed on the document. State and Energy hold that stuff pretty closely, even if you happen to be running for president.
Another thought, the sunsetting clauses in the deal are so far out, why aren't we focusing on the other near term looming catastrophes? You know the ones that matter to Americans in the next five years, not in the next fifteen or twenty.
I liked the comment of the Iranian Foreign Minister. "You want to re-negotiate the deal? Give us our ten tons of uranium back." Does the "Art of the Deal" cover that part?
A horrible deal, we got nothing and the Iranians got everything? What kind of nonsensical drivel is that? That doesn't even come close to political spin, that's pure fiction, bordering on fantasy.
Say what you want, we involved a multilateral group, negotiated hard, and walked away from the table with the best deal we could get. It set the Iranians "break-out" time back years.
I'll be the first one to say the Iranians have not pursued a policy advantageous to the west in their part of the world. Maybe a little more diplomacy, and fewer poorly thought out ultimatums might get us some progress, any progress at all.
15
We will pay a terrible price for the damage this man has done to our world, our government, and out people. From a trashed heal care system, to lost leadership & institutional knowledge in our civil service, to an anti-environmental anti-science EPA, to increasingly overt racism, to our greatly diminished international reputation & influence, it will take a generation to recover if we ever do. While stock markets are up the seeds of economic decline have been planted and well fertilized. Once those seeds bear fruit we will lack the tools and resources to respond quickly, especially with a war on.
19
Today we had confirmation that US foreign policy in the Middle East is determined by the extremist powers in the State of Israel. I remember the day when such policy was actually "Made in America".
10
With an assist from the Saudis and the UAE. We're waiting, Donny, breathlessly. Come on, tee up your first deal.
4
This is what we get with Trump. Instead of decisive and confident leadership he kicks the final decision to Congress. That's what he did with DACA, and now he does it again with the Iran deal. He's a poor excuse of a leader. On top of that he makes bad decisions. The 2020 election won't come soon enough for me.
17
Trump is looking for publicity. He has no concept of what the agreement does, no concept of what it means to be president, no concept of common sense or common decency. He talks to Sean Hannity, Chris Ruddy and Steve Bannon, and they tell him what they think are the best ways to stroke the flat earthers, that is all. Unless Putin wants something, of course.
13
He needs his base to believe that he did something, something outrageous, something that really sticks it in the eye of everyone else.
1
President Trump continues to do an excellent job protecting our country.
Controlling entry into the USA was his first accomplishment. Getting NK on notice was his second. Putting Iran on notice is his third.
He has done more in his first term to protect us than the past three presidents combined.
1
It's not Trump's ignorant bloviating that scares me as much as it is mind-boggling comments like this.
18
Remains to be seen. Business people tend to have vision for the next quarter. A president needs a vision decades long.
4
Trump's "Art Of The Deal" is yet again useless. The Deal Maker signs a sheet or two of paper in a frame, and holds it up to proudly show us all that he can sign his name - which seems to be his understanding of the start and end of his job. He creates nothing, knows nothing, passes nothing, and does nothing but use the Role and Power he was given to create chaos.
How much damage will Congress allow Trump to do? The world is not a piece of putty that can be glommed back together after breaking it apart. It's not a football. Rather, it's more like a Faberge egg.
Trump is damaging things that cannot be easily repaired or undone. Congress can stop him at Any Time. The 25th Amendment awaits. They do not, so own the damage they allow an angry child to do to the world.
10
BREAKING NEWS
"The White House will keep the Iran nuclear deal for now, but wants Congress to make a list of actions that would prompt sanctions"
Imagine that a President that will rely on Congress to do their job instead of a pen and phone!
2
I have to admit that I didn't even read this article entirely anymore.
It has become crystal clear by now that Trump really doesn't have a clue. No matter what he does, it's bad for America.
I consider myself to actually be quite a policy wonk, but that's precisely the problem with Trump: there's nothing to study, analyze or debate. He just takes one simplistic, uninformed, easy to refute decision after the other.
To those who still support him: could you please give us ONE example of something he did and that will actually make things better for America (as a whole) again? Just ONE thing ... ?
Let's take the Iran deal for instance: it's the president's job to verify whether Iran is respecting the deal or not. Europe, Russia and China have confirmed that it is. And Trump didn't give any evidence that would prove the opposite. So it is.
And yet, simply because he disagrees (probably because of politics alone, and not for a reason that has to do with substance), he prefers not to confirm the obvious. HOW will that somehow move America forward ... ?
It's just dumb policy ...
17
I listened to Trump's little speech about Iran and failed to grasp the point. After decades of fighting losing wars in which people die and suffer and into which we invest trillions isn't it time to build diplomatic solutions? Why can't this guy ever build on what's been started rather than take sledgehammers to destroy everything? Demolition takes no brains at all.
Most see Trump's actions as reflective of his hatred toward his more popular black predecessor and an appeal to the loyalty of his small base who never liked the black president either. And apparently he's willing to make people suffer as a result of his biases. These dramatics fail to mask Trump's deficits and insecurities. Corker and others should have spoken up much sooner.
10
That's quite a speech and could only have come from apocalyptic mind of Steve Miller. Next time he'll try to remember to tutor his mouthpiece on the proper pronunciation of big words like Tanzania.
7
This whole topic is a waste of energy. With or without the deal, just look at North Korea to see how this will go with Iran. First, we wring our hands about them going nuclear. They do, and we do nothing. Then we wring our hands over how many bombs they'll make and how far their missiles can fly. Again, they'll do what they want and we'll do nothing.
These rogue nations want an insurance policy that they won't be "Saddam'd. It's fine. Like we were going to attack Iran, over what? Hezbollah? Yemen?
2
And we aren't going to attack Iran because it would be utter folly. We have an agreement that keeps them from developing nukes. I cannot understand why we would not run with that for all we're worth.
1
When will Congress do their job to remove him from office by whatever means necessary? This man’s transgressions dismantle the entire globe piece by piece, limb by limb, drop by drop.
7
Memo to Congress: 25th Amendment. NOW.
12
Netanyahu has used Iran, yet again, as a distraction from his illegal colonization project in the West Bank. This time he managed to use Trump. This is abuse of people with mental health deficits.
11
Trump has spent this Friday the 13th destroying America domestically with his healthcare insurance executive orders and internationally with his dishonest decertifying of the Iranian Nuclear deal. Where do we go from here America? Into the abyss...
14
Out of UNESCO now out of the Iran deal all because they offend Israel.
Please Mr Trump get a backbone.
12
Trump puts Israel's security interest above ours.
13
And all because in 1953 the US thought it was a good idea to overthrow the democratically elected secular government of Mohammad Mosaddegh and install our sadistic idiot puppet, the Shah of Iran. 20th Century foreign intervention is the gift that just keeps on giving.
16
It's already being reported that Sen. Corker, who has worked closely with Sen. Cotton, who in turn has worked with the White House, will very soon introduce a bill that will enable the U.S. to stay in the agreement, but address President Trump's concerns.
On the ACA subsidy front, Sen. Murray and Sen. Alexander are close to hammering out a deal for continued subsidies, which President Trump has indicated he will sign.
In both cases, we are returning to a more constitutionally-appropriate process in which Congress must legislate. This is a very welcome change from most of the previous sixteen years when the executive branch, when faced with a recalcitrant Congress, simply made law with executive actions.
4
So, the trumper breaks something, congress may or may not put a band aid on it, and voilà progress, except we are left with something not as good. But hey trumper can take credit for accomplishing his campaign promises, which were based on lies.
1
There is an ironic parallel between Trump's mission to destroy Obama's legacy, and Ian Johnson's report today called "Xi Jinping and China's New Era of Glory."
Let's assume everything Obama did in his 8 years were intended to make USA better and stronger than when he inherited it from Bush's disastrous Iraq misadventure and 2008 crash. Every successful repeal and rollback by Trump means USA will fall further behind.
American Interest is clearly not wishing China continuing success. For what Ian Johnson wrote as desired outcome and movement from the American perspective, each one was rejected by Xi Jinping. China moves in the opposite direction: e.g. crackdown to sideline rivals, sophisticated domestic surveillance, eradicate public dissent, blocking media access to potential dissidents, embrace traditionalism, etc. So Xi must be doing everything right to make China stronger against American wishes.
It's China good fortune to watch Donald Trump moved into the White House. They should thank American voters and the Electoral System.
5
Yes, the U.S. should ratify the Iran nuclear deal, since Iran is technically in compliance with it. However, we must not ignore the fact that Iran continues to partner with North Korea to develop its missile (and likely nuclear) capabilities offshore, paying for it in cash that North Korea desperately needs. Developing ballistic missile capability does not fall under the restrictions agreed to in the nuclear deal, nor does Iran's continued support of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah and rogue leaders like Abbas, providing them with missiles and chemical weapons (often procured in North Korea) to use against Israel, Syrian citizens and others. Remember that a nuclear weapons facility in Syria was discovered (and bombed) by Israel in 2007, one that was almost certainly built by North Korea and financed by Iran.
We urgently need to limit the sale of N Korean military expertise to Iran and elsewhere. This can be addressed with new sanctions on Iran, or by targeting the Asian banks where N Korea keeps their "dirty money", essentially forcing the banks to close or freeze the North Korean accounts in order to keep the US and its allies from pulling their financial assets out. The latter option could have a destabilizing effect on N Korea, but it may be preferable to risk that than face the likelihood of Iran (or Syria) becoming a fully capable nuclear power the day after the treaty expires.
2
...and by Abbas I meant Assad :/
I see a lot of commenters call this a "treaty". Funny, because a treaty requires affirmative Congressional approval, which Obama wanted to avoid so badly that he made this essentially an executive order.
Back then, when the deal's supporters wanted to skirt Congress, none would dare call the deal a "treaty". Now, of course, they do.
Sorry, you can't have it both ways.
2
Obama knew the nuclear agreement would never pass Congress. You saw how members of our Congress tried to outdo each other in cheering Israels leader when he addressed Congress, trying to block the Iran deal. Congress cheering a foreign leader more so than our Congress would ever cheer then Pres. Obama. It was disgraceful in my opinion.
1
Several commenters have written that they anticipate war. A few even insist it's inevitable.
Huh?
Whatever comes of this, it isn't going to be war. When the Iran deal was about to be signed, Netanyahu made noises about attacking Iran. And before the deal was even proposed, many Americans (and Netanyahu) made noises about attacking Iran. Obviously war didn't happen either time.
War is even less likely now. The US can "pull out" of the Iran deal if it wants to -- that's what "sovereign" means, after all. And if the US does pull out, that indeed might have more effect than if, say, Senegal reneged on some agreement (that's the difference between "sovereign" and "might makes right").
But it won't matter all that much.
Iran will tell the other signatories that it's not bound because the US has reneged, whereupon the other signatories will persuade Iran to stay in the deal -- eager, as they will be, to keep Iran practically committed to some pretty favorable provisions (for just one example: the so-called "Additional Protocol," to which many of our allies (Brazil, for example) refuse to commit). Iran will strike business deals with Siemens rather than General Electric, and Boeing and other US companies will just have to adjust. Americans so inclined will continue to rail against the Iranian "mullahs," and so on and so on.
Life will go on, and there won't be any war over this. Sorry to burst the bubbles of those who think otherwise, but it's just not going to happen.
2
I think many people including serious analysts and foreign policy experts who are trying to divine Trump's motives and aims in all this are missing the obvious and single biggest driving force here: Trump's hatred of his predecessor. Of course we're not accustomed to even considering such petty, childish presidential motivations but there again we've never had anything like a Trump in the WH. The same goes for his moves to gut the Affordable Care Act.
He is motivated primarily by personal animus against Obama and he doesn't care who is caught in the crossfire or the consequences to Americans, let alone the world at large. This is what we have installed in the WH.
11
I agree wholeheartedly with what you have said.
This, however, is only a small bit of what is wrong.
What is wrong is not just "hatred of his predecessor"
A President of this country, even if he/she hates the predecessor, does not behave this way.
4
I don't believe Trump has a personal animus against Obama, but Obama's one-sided agreement with Iran did make Trump angry because he believed it was not in keeping with American interests. Obama did appear to have an agenda of his own that did not put America first. I know you wouldn't agree, but in the opinion of many Obama was an amateur who was totally ineffective on the world stage. Now its Trump's turn. Judge him by the results he is able to achieve.
I simply cannot understand the current Administrations policy towards Iran.
They are bad actors but not nearly as bad as Saudi Arabia. Iran is relatively democratic, Saudi Arabia is not, Saudis were responsible for the 9/11 massacre of Americans , in recent times Iran has not committed terrorists attacks on us or our allies. Wahhabism is the genesis of ISIS , it's home is in Saudi Arabia , Saudi Arabia funds radical clerics throughout Europe , ask the British.
Iran has helped IRAQ get rid of ISIS .
Yes Iran is problematic , so is Russia both aid the evil Assad regime.
However Trump believes by engaging Russia we can moderate their behavior likewise Iran.
The Iran agreement is a step forward , we must keep it together and bring the good Iranian people into the world community.
The irony maybe it is not Iran that is ostracized but the USA as the rest of the world goes its own way.
10
Just watched Trump's speech. Pure propaganda -- full of lies, falsifications and half-truths. The fact that he has to mislead so much shows the weakness of his case: he began with a litany of Iran's transgressions against the United States but failed to mention the outrages the US has perpetrated against Iran -- the 1953 toppling of Iran's democratically-elected government, installation of the hated Shah over a resistant people, support of his murderous regime until it was brought down by the 1979 popular revolt (not coup, as alleged) which brought Khomeini to power, the subsequent shooting down of an Iranian civilian aircraft with 236 people on board, etc. Any story is compelling if you only tell one side of it. And while it is true that the current Iranian regime are bad actors, it is American interference that brought them to power in the first place. Some acknowledgement could lay the groundwork for a future negotiation.
But Trump will have none of it. In his eagerness to denigrate the regime, he makes wild claims and attempts to smear the Obama administration (alleging the U.S. paid money to Iran when all it did was unfreeze Iranian assets and return them to their rightful owners), alleges that -- while Iran has not violated the terms of the agreement -- it has violated the "spirit", then imposes new sanctions. How pathetic. Trump does not seem to comprehend that there are 5 other signatories who will not. This man has ruined the US's standing in the world.
17
Agree with everything the poster wrote. When will Congress do its job and invoke the 25th amendment? The rest of the world is sick to death of Donald Trump, his lack of intelligence, zero knowledge of government, history, your constitution, etc. And above all, we are sick to death of his small-minded, mean-spirited pursuit of wrecking everything Obama created! Get rid of him for the sake of all the inhabitants of our planet. He can't go soon enough for me! He is destroying the Earth.
Seems politicians count on the people not being too knowledgeable, politicians figure most do not know or remember what we have done to Iran.
The US 'Commander of Rip' has no agenda but shredding the Obama's policies and agreements. Iran Deal, DACA, NAFTA, Clean Power Plan, Healthcare subsidies,... . I wonder how long Americans tolerate watching their country being demonized and isolated in the international community. Do they care at all?
8
Message to Iran rulers. Offer to name a street Trump Boulevard in Tehran, and pay him some money to put his name on an existing hotel and all will be good.
16
All he can do is undo. He's like some bratty kid at the beach, smashing other kids' sandcastles. One could only wish that the stakes were that low. Instead we face nuclear disaster.
11
I unilaterally disavow trumps leadership.
5
When countries spare no expense to acquire nukes while their people live at a Medieval level, "progressives" should protest and urge action.
Instead, perversely, they celebrate.
In the case of Iran their leaders' nuke-fever is combined with the Shi'a fundamental belief that the Final Judgment will come only after a world-wide conflict.
Sure, a few, Christians hold similar views, but they are not running the government and are generally held in low esteem.
In Iran they are the government.
If you want to make common cause with them, go ahead and say so.
But sane people will always be vary of any pledge made by Persians.
2
Yes, a one-side transaction did have the other European countries at the table, so it was a many side transaction that force Iran to take the deal and it involve Inspections and Russians. Whatever, he reduce complex deals to erroneous one dimensional battles where the U.S., the rich and most powerful country ever, is some branded as loser for being forced to take a bad deal from a second rate economy and power like Iran. But the issue is he didn’t decide. He’s scared to decide and just passed the buck over to Congress. Underneath he’s a coward and a silly man.
7
How is it that one person can appear to nix an international deal? He doesn't understand the deal, and he is making a decision based on that lack of understanding. With any scintilla of luck, Congress will override this ridiculous decision by a ridiculous, illegitimate President. Embarrassing .
3
The rest of the world needs to stand up to the US. There needs to be consequences for our behavior or things will continue to escalate.
The Iran deal never had anything to do with Iran's behavior in the middle east. The focus was to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Regardless of what else Iran has been up to if they are keeping up with their part in the agreement then Trump needs to get over himself and honor our part in the agreement.
All this administration is doing is teaching the world that there's no point in negotiating with the US because the next administration will not honor our agreements made in good faith. We will spend years rebuilding our relationship with the rest of the world.
8
If President Obama had gone through Congress and had this as a treat, President Trump wouldn't be able to do what he is now doing. This was not a good deal at the time and Congress would not have approved it as a treaty. It will be interesting to see what Chuck Schumer does now. He came out against the deal at the time.
2
I never thought I would have to say this. Now I will I take Ted Cruz any day twice on the weekend :). John Kasich would have been a dream.
5
Scrapping the Agreed Framework with N Korea worked so well for the neo-cons, they repeat w/Iran. PRNK accelerated their efforts; USA is all now under nuclear threat. The same will happen w/Iran because, as we saw yesterday w/UNESCO, Benji N owns evangelical pseudo-christians and the GOP they control ... its not foreign policy; its not christian; its not American, its just fantastic nonsense. A real leader would open the US embassy in Tehran, give them a tour of our nuclear facilities, then ask for whatever enhanced inspections we might find helpful.
4
trump does not believe that the Iran deal is certifiable. On the other hand, most Americans believe that he is.
27
Donald Trump is the person reflecting who the US is today and will be tomorrow. His support base, the GOP, the Evangelical Christians, all who voted for him, and all US citizens need to accept that Donald Trump not only represents the US from the White House but is essentially the internal and external personification of the US, its history, government, laws, values, morality, and ethics.
4
Congress needs to tell trump and the world we'll stand by the accord we signed and continue to monitor . Done. Next. Infrastructure anyone ?
4
Way to go President Trump. Iran should be thanking us for saving them with an influx of 150 billion with a b dollars. We get no thanks but many prayers for our demise. Say goodbye to this deal. It is about time.
3
Why does Trump keep emphasizing the $1.5 billion in cash delivered to Iran as part of the deal. Doesn't he realize that this was Iranian money owed to them by our military industrialized complex for broken contracts on our side. Like Trump vendors, they insisted on cash to be sure they got paid.
All the other billions he tries to pretend we paid for the deal, was sanction money where others joined the U.S. in boycotting Iranian goods which starved them to the negotiating table, the ultimate goal of the sanctions.
His ridiculous speech today starts outs criticizing the Iranians for the Iranian hostage taking. He neglects to go back a few years earlier in history when our CIA intervened in Iran to overthrow their leader. This event started the hate of the U.S. by Iran.
Iran is certainly involved in Middle East wars in Syria and Yemen but so are we in Iraq and Syria. They live in that neighborhood. We just pump oil there. There interest is existential, ours is financial.
12
I believe that he has no understanding of what the treaty does or means. He has no understanding of what the United States means in relation to the world. He lacks understanding of so many things. He is a clear and present danger and congress does not care. The Republican party has abdicated all responsibility to our country. This presidency needs to end as soon as possible. Dig harder Mr. Mueller, your country needs you.
10
Has there been a President in US history, whose primary purpose for running the country has been to cut, decertify, repeal, destroy... everything the previous Administration had done?
10
The reporters take an Alice in Wonderland view of the President's decision, calling it a face saving compromise. Whose Face and What Compromise?
I suppose one could argue it saved the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's face by making them more powerful in Iran, just when they and clerical hardliners will renew the argument for restarting their nuclear weapons program, which the IRG lost when the Ayatollahs supported the elected Rouhani government's JCPOA deal with the U.S., its allies and China and Russia.
The compromise is non-existent; Trump'a Rube Goldbergian contraption may not push the Ayatollahs to go nuke (it's possible they know pursuing nukes can easily lead to devastating war) but will ensure the decline of democratic moderates in Iran. That makes a Wag the Dog war with Iran more likely.
With one exception, Iran's refusal to let Inspectors into military facilities, the President's arguments rest on lies. It is nowhere near the worst agreement the U.S. ever agreed to. That honor belongs to numerous treaties we signed with native American tribes, only to violate them at our convenience.
In the field of arms control to which JCPOA belongs the worst agreement was surely the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty among the U.S., UK and Japan. By treating Japan unequally, the Treaty gave Japan's militarists an excuse to violate the Treaty, building in secret the navy they used to attack Pearl Harbor.
2
With the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Trans Pacific Partnership, and now the JCPOA Trump has made the United States of America the largest rogue nation on the planet. Even General John, General "Mad Dog", General H.R. and Texas Rex can clean up after Trump. The next administration is going to have a lot of damage to repair.
5
I agree with the president. Goad the Iranians to build a nuclear weapon so we can start yet another war. Find any excuse to bomb them, because, well, we can.
We may be getting closer to the end of the two we're fighting now, and the other proxy wars we're funding, so we need another before we run out.
Make us great again, sir!
3
Mr. Trump doesn't understand negotiation -- utter contradiction to his proud braying in the Art of the Deal. When you make a deal, that's what you agree to. No one will ever trust us again if Trump unilaterally decides that the Iran Nuclear Treaty doesn't say what he would like and cover more issues than the actual treaty. He's refusing to certify the Treaty, not because Iran broke its terms, but because his own personal opinion is that it should include more.
His history in business is littered with agreements that Trump broke because he no longer wanted to agree to their terms, and he was taken to court for it many hundreds of times. For his own personal business, he personally faces the consequences of such reprehensible behavior. For the United States, he's eliminating our fundamental credibility.
Republicans must speak up or invoke the 25th Amendment. Trump has done enough damage already to go down in history books as the the US's most incompetent president. That is, unless he manages to start WWIII, in which case there won't be any history books.
10
Hmmmm....let's see. Will it be nuclear war with North Korea first? Or will we wage it with Iran?
Wait. With Trump there are an endless list of possible other wild cards.
But don't worry, 85% of GOP voters approve of him. After all, tens of millions of supporters who push us closer to nuclear war can't be wrong.
4
It's very simple. Too simple really. Trump is setting in motion the scrapping of the Iran nuclear containment deal for two reasons:
1. On its face, scrapping the deal makes no sense, because of involvement with European partners, and because Iran itself plans to continue abiding by the terms. But... the war hawks, and the defense /munitions industries, actually *want* a war with Iran. It would be exceptionally profitable to shareholders. To make this possible, they would resurrect the game plan of stoking the American public's fear of Islamic terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, just as that lie was perpetrated about Iraq. Sandbagging the nuclear deal is the first step in that process.... otherwise, with a constrained Iran, it is not possible to create that false narrative.
2. In the most small-minded of ways, killing the Iran deal also allows Trump to play to his hard core base, who salivate over any opportunity to bury anything Obama achieved. (Some in Congress also salivate over this.) Partly, this is because of ignorance of civics and world affairs, and of abject nationalism, but more often, it is due to illogical hatred of anything progressive, and in some cases, purely racial animus.
8
Cui bono? Can we think of a power that will benefit from a rift between the US and its allies when it comes to Iran? What will happen to American investment happening in Iran? You’d think a big business supporter would want to make it possible for US companies to invest there. Iran has money and decades of pent up demand for new oil equipment, for airplanes, for technology, for pop culture from the US. Who benefits from this ridiculous nihilistic policy?
4
I don't want that man walking on that carpet, paid for by my tax dollars.
2
Message to Democrats: Obstruct / Stall / Obstruct / Stall. This person cannot remain president forever. Do the Democrat's version of Mitch McConnell on this administration. We are not lemmings and do not need to follow dotard Trump over the cliff.
When the United States enters into an agreement with other nations, we are expected to honor the terms of that agreement, not throw a TANTRUM. To anyone reading this who is from another country: I apologize on behalf of most Americans for the atrocious aggressive somewhat paranoid and certainly narcissistic behavior of DJ Trump.
7
Mr. Trump's Oppositional Defiant Disorder(ODD) is in full view! He is determined to destroy as many of our institutions and international agreements as possible. His actions are accelerating. Somebody better immobilize his hands as they grasp for the nuclear codes.
4
The Pretend King Trump is bowing to his masters, the Saudis. Saudi Arabia has longed wanted a wedge between us and Iran so that they can do their dirty work. This is what the Pretend King Trump cemented when he went to Saudi Arabia. No news here. Iran knows it. The Europeans should be on edge since they are closer to the consequences of not monitoring Iran. Another misstep and another mistake by the Pretend King Trump and his minions. Remember, they will not feel the results of these mistakes, we will.
4
It appears this is not manageable even by the adults, it's insanity. Very disturbing that the power of one of Trump's insecurities totally over rides reason, like an uncontrollable drug addiction, the advice of his Generals not to tamper with the Iran Nuclear Agreement because it is in our national security interests. But Trump cannot over come his manic obsessive Obama envy of Obama's proven competence and achievements vs Trumps proven lack of competence and accomplishment, he must remove all evidence of Obama. However, the security interests of our nation and it's people are far more important than the manic insecurities of any President, unfortunately it is time for a mental health intervention of the increasingly dangerously unhinged Trump.
3
I find it incredible that Trump could not come up with even a FIG LEAF of justification under the JCPOA for claiming Iran is not in compliance. Not that I "trust" Iran... I know about the concerns regarding their military sites. I also know that we have a fairly massive intelligence and defense operation going on here. Let's also not forget we have allies that are pretty renowned for their intelligence gathering skills as well. Even if official inspections are limited, spies abound and I have no doubt Trump has turned our intelligence apparatus at least partially in Iran's direction. Nothing? Say what you will about the Bush administration's adventurism, at least they CLAIMED to have evidence of WMDs. Trump is just being lazy... no showmanship! No wonder his ratings are dropping. Last season was so much better when he strung people along about what his "investigators" were discovering about Obama's origins?
And now there's this farce about leaving it up to Congress. If Congress doesn't do what Trump wants, Trump threatens to terminate the deal (U.S. breach). If Congress DOES do what Trump wants, Iran will terminate the deal (due to U.S. breach--forcible "renegotiation" of a done deal is just double-dealing). He will alternatively claim Congress "forced" him to kill the deal or that they killed the deal himself (by essentially announcing the U.S.'s willingness to renege). Par for the duplicitous course.
3
Trump is slowly destroying the Republican party one move at a time. The idiom "Be careful what you wish for" fits perfectly in this situation.
6
The President wants out the Iran deal, but that may not be what's best for the country. I feel the President acts on issues before fully thinking them through.
He's often said things that make little sense and it's been proven time after time he's a liar and shouldn't be trusted. Now I'm no psychiatrist nor do I have a background in human behavior, but I've come to this conclusion. For our country, the President's competence must be fully examined.
People of Planet Earth:
Let's call on the American Congress and European allies to help fix the “many serious flaws” in the Trump administration to ensure that “the Trump regime can never threaten the world with a deeply flawed and dangerously unstable/erratic American president”.
2
So what?? I've been denouncing Iranian leadership for decades.
Get this man out of the White House, he is literally destroying everything. And, in this case, he is serving his Russian master by pushing us further away from our European allies. There does not seem to be any sense of urgency in Washington and no, the snail's pace investigations do not inspire confidence. This presidency is like watching a slow motion collapse of our democracy, and everything it means to be an American.
6
If the ultimate goal is to ensure that more people distrust their government, they are on the road to success.
Our national illness has its genesis in a pervasive lack of trust….“Voters don’t trust Trump on North Korea”
“Americans down on Congress; see Congress as corrupt, not worthy of their trust”
“Congress does not trust the president on Russia”
“President does not trust media”
"Voters don’t trust Congress to investigate a president they don’t trust”
I wonder if Ernest Hemingway would still have this advice, “The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them."
1
Weak decision by an even weaker man. Does anyone still stand by "Clinton and Trump are the same" or "she is just the lesser two evils" arguments? It has been, what, 9 months only since he started? This is a nightmare.
Thank you ambivalent voters who stayed home. Thank you progressive purists that voted Stein. Thank you conservatives who knew Trump was crazy, but, hey, the Supreme Court seat is more important. Thank you!
3
You are spot on!!!
2
The real problem is that our middle east policy is dominated by a commitment to hard-liners in Israel, AIPAC and delusional, apocalyptic end-times evangelicals.
A more rational country, devoted to its own domestic and global security interests, would have solidified this deal in a treaty as part of ongoing non-proliferation efforts. But a more rational country wouldn't cede its foreign policy to the above groups, and a more rational country wouldn't have voted in a fool like Trump.
5
I think the Congress hates Trump. He puts a lot of work on their desk and forces them to clarify a lot of issues.
2
How embarrassed Wharton must be for having trained and graduated this "like, really smart person" who's running our country like he (still) runs his businesses--shamelessly.
3
President Miller seems to be doing all the strategizing these days.
1
President Trump said it was the worst deal ever in the history of Dealology. Therefore, it is, no matter what the actual text of it says.
If a cage to contain an (allegedly) rabid dog is suspect as insufficient, the answer is not to eliminate the cage.
1
We can start by apologizing to Iran for the CIA coup in 1953 that brought them our buddy, The Shah and his Secret Police. That brought the mullahs to power and caused the "revolution". We need to find out what they want, same with North Korea.
If we don't talk them, how will we ever know. Rely on the CIA? I'm still laughing.
As Alice said: "Let's start at the beginning" ..... not the end.
4
Vladimir Putin is one shrewd former KGB spy. For the price of a few million rubles, he has gotten Donald Trump elected and set the United States on the path to destruction in the span of just a few short months. America has turned from world leader into a banana republic led by a corrupt family. Trump is escalating nuclear tensions with N. Korea and Iran and fiddling while Puerto Rico slowly dies. When is our Congress going to do something -- anything -- about this?
6
The only way things could get worse is when Congressi is in the stands, our less than Supreme Court waves the start flag and he pushes the button.
President Trump does not really hate the nuclear deal. Israel does. President Bush Jr. did not really want to invade Iraq. Israel did. What these men have in common is that they are/were incompetent Prsidents and easily manipulated by special interests. And Israel is the most special of the special interests.
3
My my my. How perceptive are the progressives attacking Trump? Iran's regime indisputably supports international terrorism (in violation of international law). Iran's regime props up economically and militarily a ruthless dictator in Syria whom even the feckless President Obama labeled a tyrant. Iran's regime crushes all forms of political dissent and free speech, an affront to the basic ideas of freedom which progressives profess to support. So why (tongue in cheek) would anybody anywhere anytime think that such a regime would not be compliant with a mere "nuclear deal"?
In the future, why would any Country in their right minds negotiate a deal with the American? The Whole World know the US is not TRUSTWORTHY, soon or later, they will pull out of any deal.
2
Can't help it but when I see DJT trying to play diplomat the image of a toddler trying to hammer a square in a peg hole comes to mind.
3
Just as he always does, our cowardly president throws a hand grenade into the middle of the room, walks out the door, then locks it behind him. Congress can fix it. Then he can blame them when it doesn't work out. And the GOP believes this is leadership.
5
Appearing to do something is one thing Trump is good at. Another is making enemies.
1
Leaving this agreement will:
1. Allow Iran to proceed full speed ahead with nuclear weapon development.
2. Show North Korea we are not to be trusted in any possible negotiations.
3. Tell our allies that our word in international agreements is worth nothing.
4. Get us so much closer to war in the middle east since Israel will likely strike Iran provoking retaliation and perhaps nuclear war.
Every day is is some new disaster for America and the American people. Who is this guy? What can we do to stop this ongoing disaster? Congress, where are you?
5
Isn't this really a war with DT & Congress? After-all there hasn't been much flattery (or action) coming from The Hill lately. Or perhaps another distraction as Mueller gets closer and closer to criminal indictments.
Where's his all-knowing adviser, Jared? He's invisible again...always seeming to go 'gone' when the heat is on. How hot is it in the White House?
2
About time! Excellent speech by President Trump. I would have just added Bernard Lewis’s quote ““For people with this mindset, MAD is not a constraint; it is an inducement....”
Now it's on the same Republican lawmakers who wrote to the ayatollahs in order to undermine the Obama five plus one Iran deal to write to the ayatollahs again. What warning will Republican lawmakers have for the ayatollahs this time, and will anyone even care?
Trump: now that I've created another mess, I'll send some threatening tweets and then off to another golf course for the weekend.
4
Not being American, I know my opinion will get crushed put here is the best description I found of the US president: He is a mythomanic, which means: A mythomaniac is the psychiatric term for somebody diagnosed with mythomania or pseudologia fantastica; in other words an individual who compulsively tells lies and recounts experiences that are nothing but fantasies. These factitious stories are a compulsive action, and the mythomaniac is sometimes not even aware they are lies. In this case, the individual does not realize that he or she is lying, unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. This disorder can be due to different traumas that push the individual to subconsciously escape reality through lies. Consultation with a psychiatrist can cure this disorder
4
@CBerzi: Note the lack of disagreement from the home team.
1
The madness of King Donald continues. Tragically ironic that the Electoral College, which was supposed to be the last line of defense against such an autocratic buffoon, has instead forced this minority's choice upon us. Thoughts and prayers for our country and the world that used to look to us.
3
It strikes me that djt may exhaust the patience of Iranian leaders and their friends (Can you say Putin?) before he exhausts the patience of people like His Pomposity, McConnell and the Cowardly Ryan. How will the Iranians behave when they are totally done with all of his nonsense or the nonsense of others? Is there any history as evidence on this? Maybe our magnificent Congress won't get a chance to determine "trigger points." Great name for them, though.
2
I don't think Trump knows that the agreement was signed by many countries not just U.S and even if U.S pulls out the deal is honored by other countries. I suspect Trump's position is the work of Netanyhu and AIPAC with their massive influence on U.S senate and Congress trying to unravel things and set the stage for U.S to take the military action against Iran and do the dirty work for Israel.
2
Good, one of the worst things to occur during the Obama administration was this, "deal." Which was really no deal at all. You don't give free reign to a government that historically has sponsored more Islamic terrorist activity than any other.
1
I just have this sneaky suspicion that he is doing exactly what Isreal is telling him to do, via Kushner, who I strongly suspect is being used as a mole. Case in point, UNESCO. I see no reason for the US to withdraw but yet he did.
He said he will fix Obamacare but he has done nothing but introduce chaos. So easy, he said.
He said he is AMAZING at negotiations but he has not shown one bit of that ability so far. And again and again, he is proving that he doesn't have the intellectual nor mental capability anymore to go thru the details (you can only weep reading thru his interviews, sorry, his ramblings).
How is it that his supporters, the Republican Senators and Representatives still believe in him, is beyond me.
Using his words, SAD!
4
It is impressive hypocrisy to demand the curtailing of another country's weapons program when our President just asked to increase our nuclear arsenal tenfold.
I honestly believe Trump is more dangerous than Iran.
3
The list of tasks delegated to Congress is almost as long as Jared's.
1
We currently are involved in seven conflicts. We have a history of fomenting wars in other countries through our CIA using subversive tactics. We support bases and jobs therein for foreigners throughout the world while other nations can use their budgets for Healthcare that shames ours. We have a history of dirty play in Iran. Yet we expect them to bow to our interests. This President is a joke unworthy to carry far better Presidents' jockstraps.
2
Note to Trump: Undoing Obama's accomplishments is NOT an agenda.
4
The BEAUTY of the Nuclear Iranian is that for now at least and hopefully for the next 15 years it will hold off Iran from building and deployed nuclear bombs to use in attacking our country.
The old people who hate and want to destroy our country will be dead and the young people of Iran who like and admire our country would then be in control.
And you trump ,if the gods are willing, will also be staring at the roots of the many daisy flowers growing over your grave.
1
This time the Barbarian is inside the gates.
Expect the Decline and Fall of the US Empire in a very short time.
3
“Mohammad Javad Zarif, said in an interview, ‘Are you prepared to return to us 10 tons of enriched uranium?’” It’s encouraging that he recognizes Iran’s predicament.
1
Trump never provides any details on all the claims of "bad deals." The details would, of course, show he is wrong. His nonsense will have no affect on the lemmings that line up and believe his rants actually have any substance.
We have a president that believes the complexity of his job is no more important than a silly sound-bite.
2
Trump is living his dream and doing his best to destroy all the progress his nemesis and intellectual superior President Obama made (oh how I miss President Obama). Everything from the ACA, to the Treaty with Iran, to rolling back regulations that safeguard our environment, to the Dreamers Program Trump is attacking with glee, without one thought nor care as to the consequences of his actions nor whom his actions affect. His escalation of tensions with Kim Jong-un and his disavowal of the Iran Nuclear Deal have made this country and the world a more dangerous place to live in.
Trump is a dangerous, vulgar bully of a man who relishes the power of the Presidency to seek revenge on those whom he feel slighted him in some way or are somehow superior to him. He is an embarrassment to this country. Is Congress just going to sit idly by as this man-child who seems to think he was elected king destroys the decency and principles we once stood for? I am so ashamed for us all. Every single day the national nightmare deepens.
2
Trump is contemptuous of every person and everything that he was elected to serve and protect. He and he alone is destroying not only America's reputation on the world stage but America itself. He's clearly not fit to be president. Time is of the essence to save America from further, irreparable damage.
3
I read Trump's charges and specifications about what Iran has done to offend the United States. Many of the adjectives and phrases could be identical to a denunciation of Russia's conduct against the United States' strategic interests. Yet Trump has remained silent on Russia. Moreover, Trump has not threatened to revoke any prior treaties the US has with Russian on nuclear arms limitations.
The bluster and rhetorical vomit is pure hypocrisy.
1
Many commenters rail against this abomination of a president, and rightly so. He is literally an existential threat to our nation, not to say millions of others around the world.
We are literally a coin toss away from a nuclear war with North Korea. And now Trump walks away from the Iran nuclear agreement. Nothing - but nothing - good will come of these actions. We all know it. We know he is literally insane, and we knew it during his campaign.
Which leads me to who really is to blame here. Remember, Trump voters are to blame. All of them. Then, and now. They are still in lockstep supporting this unhinged tyrant. They have so brainwashed themselves that they literally do not care if their own families are incinerated in a nuclear conflagration. There is no "coming together", no "healing" with any of them. They are as much an abomination as he is. They are not "good people". They are the worst of us, and this is exactly why Trump appeals to them. They see themselves in him. And they put him in charge of the nuclear codes for this nation. And for this, I'll never forgive any of them.
Trump isn't responsible for reneging on the Iran accords. He didn't seize power at the barrel of a gun. His voters put him there. No doubt a decade or two from now no one will ever admit to having voted for this tyrant. But in the meantime, Trump voters should be called out every day for the damage they've caused this once great nation.
6
Invoke the 25th Amendment - it's past time Republicans, and you know it.
2
Donald J. Trump will be the great asterisk of history.
Pulling out of UNESCO because of its "anti Israel bias" and pulling out of the Iran deal, because of the "existential threat" it poses to Israel, further jeopardize our relationship with Iran, and with the rest of the world (who will ever trust the US again to stick to an agreement?!).
Since it's all certainly at the urging of Bibi (with support from his wingnut zealots in the WH and Congress), and our foreign policy is seemingly just to do Israel's bidding, I'm wondering - what happened to America First?!
3
All of Trump's decisions so far, from sabotaging the ACA to refusing to certify the Iran nuclear deal, are intended to be talking points and advertisements when he runs for re-election in 2020. Trump isn't capable of being President, being a leader, or being honest. But he is a consummate marketer -- of himself -- and these steps along the road, which seem to be so outlandish and short-sighted, will come back to haunt us in three years time.
The marketing will commence in 2018, by the way, and the message will be "Give Trump the Congress He Needs."
Scary, yes. But coming soon . . .
4
The Trump daily prayer: Please Lord, give me the excuse to nuke NK or Iran so the Russian scandal will go away and I can rule with absolute power.
2
Want to know what these guys want to do in Iran? Go back and look at Iraq.
2
Trump's decertification action of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action--the JCPOA (Iran Deal) is all Kabuki theater, but it is dangerous Kabuki theater.
Trump is acting on a reckless and ill-thought campaign promise, coupled with a desire to dismantle all things Obama. He can't literally "tear up" the multi-lateral, U. N. based agreement. So he has used this "decertification" to satisfy himself, then throwing the entire thing to Congress.
Trump never understood the JCPOA. I doubt that he ever even read it. He promulgated the false idea that Iran was being paid $150 billion U.S. taxpayer dollars, when this was Iran's own money (and it was far from $150 billion).
He seemed to believe that this multi-lateral agreement, which was a United Nations Resolution--not even a specific agreement between nations--was like one of his real-estate deals where everything and anything could have been included. The JCPOA was limited to Iran's nuclear program. The Netanyahu and AIPAC wish list of other provisions designed to destroy Iran's economy and provoke regime change was never on the table, and would have guaranteed the failure of the agreement.
Trump also seems not to know anything about the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on which the JCPOA is based. Its provisions for inspection are the bedrock of the Deal Iran has been in 100% full compliance both with the JCPOA and its responsibilities under the NPT.
Iran is blameless, but Trump has plenty to answer for.
6
I have been falling a victim of increasingly deeper depression and insomania since Trump has entered White House. Every morning he comes out barking that America is not safe. I am terrified and look around for the enemies threatening this powerful nation. China ? Russia ? Iran ? they dont have fire power or will. N. Korea? Its a joke. Pehaps those Dreamers and illigal Latinos ? or 1.6b world Muslims, most living in corruption and poverty ? Fail to find phantom enemy on this planet who can think of taking on US war machine. That leaves only one in 7b souls. Trump is America 's only enemy.
4
America's role in the world has to change; we cannot continue to be the bodyguard to every country around. Iran, in terms of its leaders, is a menace to countries around it. So is North Korea. Better to help Japan and South Korea be as threatening to N. Korea and it is to them. Perhaps same for Israel, Saudi, Jordan and Egypt. Both sets seem to get away with disliking each other, especially true of Arab countries with Israel.That is because the US is there to protect them. And this is what it comes down to: we fight and die for them, we spend billions and trillions. If Israel, small as Connecticut, can fight for itself, as it has done all along, certainly the others can. I would favor allowing our best bombers and non atomic bombs to be part of the arms of Israel, South Korea and Japan. Let these countries do the inevitable pre-emptive strikes, as they judge necessary. Or better yet, perhaps with these arms, some sort of deal can be made with their enemies to prevent war on their terms.
Does Trump understand how this agreement works? It's a multi-lateral agreement. The US is a party but not the only party. Sure seems a lot better than the DPRK situation.
As far as I know Iran has fulfilled the Iran nuclear deal. The deal was just intended for just that purpose. Now president Trump will make a new deal a better deal, a wonderfull deal, a deal better than anyone ever seen. Just like his health plan, the great wall of china ,sorry I meant the wall against Mexico and all his other wonderfull big plans he says will come. What does President Trump really want ? Does he further more wants to destablish the delicate situation in the middle east ? Does he want another war ? Both with Iran and North Korea ? What he will accomplish, is a feeling that you can not trust the US to stand by an agreement even when you fullfilled your part of a deal. When it comes to Saud Arabia and his weapon deal with them how does he thinks the Iranians look at that ? Both of those countries have much to answer for. Maybe President Trump is looking for a great war, a kind of war you never seen before, the gratest war of them all. I have written this before that this man is dangerous and should never have been president of the United States.
4
President Obama was one great president. The reason I know this is because Trump is in the process of destroying every good thing President Obama did to make us safe, prosperous, respected worldwide and proud to be Americans. And everyday Trump is getting closer to complete success. I am truly scared for our future.
2
It was never a "great" deal to begin with. But it dialed down the rhetoric and the possibility of conflict between our countries. Seems as if Trump doesn't get EVERYTHING he wants, he simply upsets the bargaining table. (Did he do this playing Monopoly as a kid?) All this hostility because of holding 56 hostages, none of whom were killed, 40 years ago? What about our shoot-down of their airliner? I don't get it. Where is our beef with Iran. As an American I'd like to apologize to the Iranian people for OUR meddling in their affairs, up to and including providing arms to Saddam Hussein. To me Iran seems like one of the sanest, most stabile countries in that part of the world. Have never met an Iranian I didn't like.
2
I teach Middle East politics and history at a major Canadian public university, and face a dilemma, as I prepare for class this afternoon, that is unlike any I can recall in my 16 year career. Namely, I plan on beginning class by showing a clip from the President's speech earlier today on the Iran nuclear deal. However, I am genuinely concerned that, because the truculent, arrogant tone of the speech so verges on a self-parody of the speaker, my very serious and engaged students will somehow think that I am not treating the issue with enough gravitas. What a testament to our times.
2
Netanyahu has always opposed this agreement, so I would not expect anything different from Trump. Saudi Arabia is also opposed to it. I've read Trump will impose sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard. It's obvious he wants to raise tensions. This is never ending. The list of will keep growing. I'm very concerned about all of this, but so are millions of other Americans and people the world over. Who knows where we are heading! Corker said it the other day, and he must know what he is talking about.
1
I'm reading the comments here and wonder if I am in the same universe as many of my fellow NYT readers, who somehow think Mr. Trump is insane for wanting to revisit this.
“We have a countdown clock to when Iran can a resume its nuclear program,” Mr. Tillerson said.
There you have it. The accord will one day lapse, and Iran will be positioned to once again construct a nuclear weapon it it wants to.
Obama administration negotiators assumed that as a result of commerce and trade between Iran and the rest of the world during the lifetime of the accords, there would be regime change in Iran before the accord expires -- that Iran would liberalize politically.
The thinking was that a liberalized Iran would not want to pursue nuclear weapons development.
Anyone who knows anything about Iran knows that the clerical regime in Tehran is not going to fundamentally change. It is a regime that views the world differently than we do, with policies -- including support for terror groups such as Hizballah -- that are anathema to us and most western democracies.
Sure, there is a benefit to the accord: it buys another 8 years that we can kick the can of Iranian nuclearization down the road.
We've been kicking the North Korean nuclearization can down the road for many years as well, and as we are now seeing, the road is quickly coming to an end.
The same will happen with Iran.
The Iranians have a good deal and they know it. The US did not negotiate in its own best interests.
2
The "countdown clock" you refer to when Iran is likely to have a useable nuclear weapon is not 8 years, but closer to 15 years-assuming Iran wants one. A awful lot can happen in l5 years.Fascist Japan andNazi Germany went from America's most hated enemies and being almost totally destroyed by us, to steadfast allies in 15 years. Do you know what changes will occur in Iran or any other country in the next 15 years? I don't. I believe the nuclear agreement with Iran safely affords us the time to wait and see what happens.
Nuanced, thoughtful, and informed. NOT.
Withdrawing the Presidential is his way of absolving him from responsibility. From doing his actual job. Imagine if a CEO did this...abdicated his responsibilities, and simply said, "Nope, not gonna do it, not gonna do the hard work...going golfing...you guys handle things, and if I dont like, Im gonna tweet about it..."
We basically have as president that jerk, hyper-critical friend we all have, od disposed of... Wont do anything of substance, but has a negative opinion about everyone and thing.
1
Clandestine efforts against rogue countries iran and north korea are imperative. In a rational world, it must be assumed any/all that can be done to assassinate their murderous tyrants and enable a coup d'etat are ongoing. Stability, lasting peace, liberation would be welcomed by their enslaved inhabitants.
1
Ah, well... Looks as though Mueller's getting closer.
1
Words can not express how much I dislike this POTUS, he is truly a despicable, hateful and selfish person. How the religious right and other very religious Americans can defend him is unbelievable. Trump has not one religious bone in his body. The US will now be totally isolated without a friend or ally to support this country. Very depressing indeed.
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25th Amendment.
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A madman playing with fire...and we sit helplessly and watch.
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I wonder if Donny has Boeing stock? I'm guessing not since this puts that $16 billion order they've gotten from Iran in jeopardy, eh?
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Is this the next act of our national theater of the absurd? Trump threatens something outlandish until we give him something else he wants? Is that extortion or a baby tantrum?
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Donald Trump's fragile ego is Putin's best weapon.
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What GW Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Trump have in commun?
They were draft dodger during the Viet Nam war.
Now the question is do President Trump will follow their lead and invade countries? In this case Iran?
Stay tune
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Trump is a madman intent on shredding every vestige of decency bequeathed to us by Obama. He is a child throwing a nuclear tantrum and his mommy (the Republican Party) hasn't the will to stop him. No doubt there will be myriad analyses on this thread showing how dangerous and counterproductive scuttling the deal is. Virtually all will agree. But we need to agree that there is only one sane course of action: DEPOSE TRUMP NOW!
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Donald Trump, always reaching under the table and giving his small fanatical faction who has hijacked the GOP a good squeeze on the knee
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Why is DJT still president? It's past time to find a way to get him out of the White House.
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This is compromise?
The GOP poster child; 'Le enfant terrible' tantrums again jeopardizing US national security and world peace.
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From my location down here I can only state that Trump has single-handedly managed to unite Iran's hardliners and reformists, and in addition has guaranteed Iran's redoubling of a missile deterrent force to counter U.S. aggression.
I also just now received WhatsApp messages from my European friends referring to Trump with words that are unprintable. Sad, really sad.
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Once again the "Tin Pot Dictator Wannabee" ignores reality to please his uneducated clueless base. Iran has been certified in compliance with the existing accord. Add another nation to the "hate America" list. The great "Tweeter" has to go and the sooner the better.
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Sing on Trump's desk: "THE BUCK PASSES HERE."
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It's all about Israel, which has been quiet too long.
Didn't want to come out this early with the new push for war in Iran,
but Trump may well be on his way out, or as powerful now as he will
be, given his stupidity noted in the last few days.
His chief of staff may not be able to stem the cries for Section 25 or
impreadhement for much longer. And Netanyahu had to act now.
Getting America into war won't be that easy for the world detested
Israel. Watch for Wolfowitz on news shows tonight. Or soon.
Peter King has spoken out already, early in the afternoon.
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Why listen to your Generals when you have Sean Hannity as your national security advisor?
Trump might as well have texted to the Mullahs "I want you guys to go ahead and nuke up. Then I'll ratchet up my Twitter account with tremendous bluster, threaten to attack you and this will all be so fun, I like war."
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Bet you didn't know this story appeared right here in the New York Times on December 27, 2009 (written by Robert F. Worth):
"In Tehran, thick crowds marched down a central avenue in midmorning, defying official warnings of a harsh crackdown on protests as they chanted “death to Khamenei,” referring to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has expressed growing intolerance for political dissent in the country."
No question that "Death to America" is a more frequent chant, but I remember being amazed that protesters (none of whose faces was covered, I noticed) would openly chant "Death to Khamenei."
Hooda thunk it, eh?
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All this worldly knowledge and vibrato from a draft dodging, rich kid that was advised by generals in HIS military not do so?
Laughable.
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We have a guy that thinks he can jump the Grand Canyon because he can ride a two wheeled bike.
Two problems are he doesn't know what or where the Grand Canyon is and secondly he won't listen or read anything regarding Evel Kneivel.
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For God's sake, pull out the 25th Amendment before he gets half the world incinerated.
What is there to like? We have a walking disaster in our midst.
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maybe I'm naïve; but I like to think that America's words & commitments were relied upon by the rest of the world. Trump's actions continually degrade America's credibility. He's nuts if he thinks he's going to renegotiate anything. Who would believe anything he says.
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Who can believe he would keep the next deal even if it was renegotiated. Fooled once . . .
Trump doesn't even know that HE is the President of the Virgin Islands.
You may have seen Trump on Iran - really striving to read the teleprompter because he had no clue what he was saying. Forget about the hysterical hyperboles, the myriad lies, and the overarching paranoia - and the so unsubtle yearning for regime change. This is essentially the most stupid US foreign policy decision since Shock and Awe in 2003. So easy to see the usual suspects behind it. If I was advising Tehran I'd say forget about these clowns. Forever. Deal with the Europeans, Russia, China, the rest of Asia, bypass the US dollar, bet on Eurasia integration and keep on trucking.
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Reneging on deals is the one job skill that Donald J. Trump can truthfully be said to possess. The Reneger in Chief.
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Well, this certainly reconfirms most people's belief that the true Axis of Evil is the U.S., Israel and Saudi Arabia.
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So sad but true.
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"Most people" in Tehran, you mean?
The most dangerous man on the planet has once again put all 6 billion of us in peril.
To his staff and Congress. Please end this madness. Invoke the 25th amendment before he turns this planet into a pile of ash.
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Stupid Word Tricks featuring Don Trump.
What this man has just done is grant Iran permission to develop nucular weapons as quickly and as quietly as they please.
As a contract-dependent real estate developer and crook, Mr. Trump knows full well that if one party backs out of a contract, there is no contract.
The Senate can pile on all the sanctions they like, as if they could actually accomplish anything, and it will make no difference.
On the bright side, maybe he can pay Iran to nuke North Korea, and keep us out of it.
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There goes hundreds of jobs in Everett, WA, when the Boeing deal collapses. #jobdestroyerinchief
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Who on earth does this guy think he is?
A U.N. agreement and he bosses the world around like they're some nonchalant child. I don't want our country to waste precious time on one of his orders. He is abusing the Office in expecting signatories to this accord to jump to attention and do his bidding.
You don't like it Trump. Tough. I don't much like you. I'm sure the Iranians like you even less and the IRGC probably stick pins into effigies of you!
Pleasing your base by making false, factless promises on the campaign trail is 100% your problem. Passing it off to others to do your dirty work requires a ' get stuffed' response. Instead of running a witless and populist campaign promising the undeliverable, you should have been honest on your limitations instead of scrabbling for votes by playing hero to vulnerable people.
Power gone to head. Obama was tons better than this jerk that's been allegedly voted in. All this swamp politics he's brought to the WH is because of his deep insecurities. He knows he should not be in post and is out of his depth but oh, no, nothing can reign on the Trump parade. He must have his 'days in the sun' at everyone's expense.
Trump makes me angry because he is so unjust and a prolific liar. I hope Iran, who know his weaknesses play clever on this one. I hate to see people bullied and humiliated so on this one, my support goes to them.
Trump in your temper you have lost me.
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Donald reads Bibi's script.
Trump is the best president Israel ever had.
Now who is representing the American people?
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"In addition to Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis argued that it was in the national security interests of the United States to keep the deal’s constraints on Iran"
Oh why listen to anyone who knows anything about security. I wonder how the other signatories of this agreement will feel.
Poor Donald, someone took his cookie jar away!
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I wish reporters would ask what the president is opposed to in the deal and make him give specifics. He seems to have an opinion that it is bad but gives no sign that he actually knows what's in it or how remarkable an achievement it is. Or that canceling would essentially allow Iran to start developing its nuclear capability immediately.
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I'd say that's a fair bet:
"Maybe we think we are more important to Iran and this deal than we actually are."
And we'll probably find out very soon.
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I heard elsewhere just now that when Trump heard Tillerson and Mattis tell him that Iran was in compliance and that the agreement was in the best interests of the US, he blew up. Now, why would a reasonable person blow up when his own Sec of State and Sec of Defense give the considered assessments of their departments? That would only happen if the person had an uninformed preconceived position.
Clearly, Trump has no interest in learning anything, only in finding people and support for his uninformed opinions that were really only taken to heart when he found that they played well to his base during his campaigning. What a sorry excuse for setting rational foreign policy. And once again, there is the "Obama produced this" factor. Trump truly and constantly acts like a child.
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Now. Right now is when Trump's "generals" have to step in and say no. What overrides their day jobs are the oaths they swore to protect this country. Rex Tillerson is just an oil executive who's in it to make himself rich from oil deals with Russia. But Kelly, Mattis and McMaster? They shame everyone who has ever served in the U.S. military if they ignore their oaths to country over party.
To stand by and say nothing while the man they now work for provokes nuclear proliferation by killing a deal to stop nuclear proliferation? If they don't act, then Kelly, Mattis and McMaster must be stripped of their rank and their pensions .... for starters. Yes, the military can do this, even to retired officers.
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The solution to a bad deal is a better deal. Obama gave everything to Iran in exchange for almost nothing.
Good on Trump- we need a better deal. Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
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Actually we and our partners got the best available deal (and we need allies because our sanctions alone won’t be enough). If you have a better idea, let’s hear it rather than just a repetition of the ‘worst deal ever’ talking point.
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Trump has not secured a "better deal". His clamoring and preening has changed nothing for the positive. It has just diminished are standing in the world and our ability to do something constructive in the ME.
The idea that he can force our Congress to "amend" a multi-lateral agreement is absurd.
But Trump cares not - he got his news cycle win.
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???
Ask the Israelis what they think of this deal - they are happy with it.
To boot, the generals, CIA and State Department (along with all of our allies) say it works.
Misinformed you are..
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Gotta hand it to the guy, he does what he says. What I didn't expect is the non-stop, relentless pace at which he is moving, every day a new push forward. (Might be better to work with him and try to shape matters, rather than get pushed aside.)
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If Obama put an agreement or a policy in place, then it is "a disaster" or the "worst deal ever". It is time for Congress and the nation to see that this is what prompts our President to do anything, including signing executive orders to get his way. It is also time to see what we, as a nation of principles and beliefs, can do about changing this.
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Under the Obama Administration and the resulting pacifism that saw America withdraw from the world stage and give up leadership we often heard the term "Power vaccum" used to describe what followed as other powers such as Russia and China filled the void left behind.
America has power beyond its military might. American has diplomatic, economic, technological and political power. Mr. Trump in his zeal to undo anything left by Obama is failing to understand the law of unintended consequences as he disavows the Iranian Nuclear Deal and sends "searing criticism of Iran" with his intent "not to certify Iran's compliance with the agreement."
The Iran nuclear deal may not have been perfect but however imperfect it is working. The deal also opened doors within Iran that will, albeit slowly, allow change to take place within the government and economic structure of Iran. There can be no change of any kind in Iran if it remains isolated from the rest of the world. Furthermore if the U.S. now seeks further isolation and restrictions against Iran then Russian and China will certainly seek to fill the voids left by decertifying the agreement. Those governments will exploit every opening.
Trump is too arrogant and inexperienced to fully grasp the national security issues at risk. He's in over his head. An agenda of dismantlement rather than further engagement will only lead to greater distrust between America and Iran. Decertification opens the door to China and Russia.
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If Obama had verified and made it a law that the sun comes up in the East Trump would try to vacate the law.
Trump is a very insecure person who cannot accomplish anything of note so he tears down what his predecessor built.
That is actions hurt the American peopled make us less secure does not matter to him.
As long as he can fill his empty life with action he is happy.
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Trump has not scrapped the nuclear deal. He has forced congress to do the due diligence and nix it if they find there are goo reasons to do that or fix it if they can find a way to do it.
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At least he listened in part to one of the Generals. For now the damage will hopefully be minimal.
This fake president has no grasp of what the Iran deal actually is. He got hung up on the money aspects and never got past it. Someone should advise him that the money was Iran's and that we released it as part of the deal.
Since Trump didn't actually write 'The Art of the Deal' he only pretends to be a deal maker.
He thinks nuclear weapons just hit a target and then disappear.
He is unfit to make adult decisions especially that can affect the world.
Had enough GOP enablers? Have you defined a line to be crossed yet before you act?
I doubt it but I keep hoping the country will eventually come first.
In the meantime I guess we rely on Iran and the other countries involved to show more sense than Trump is capable of doing.
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Why not subject the US arsenal to the same intrusive inspections to which Iran has agreed?
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I hope that Trump lives long enough to see and understand the consequences of his actions.
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Allies are a major force multiplier for any country. President Trump's actions today will certainly alienate foreign support for a rogue state which routinely acts in ways prejudicial to international order and law while inflicting great harm on millions of people.
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I wonder if he's really smart enough to understand the issue. I mean smart in the technical sense, the score on a standard IQ test. A child, carefully tutored by advisors, would understand that Iran is a terrorist nation and that the point of the nuclear deal is simple and specific: keeping a terrorist nation from building a nuclear bomb.
That Iran is holding up its part of the bargan has been repeatedly established by independent investigators. It took years to negotiate this deal along with other nations as diverse as Germany, Russia, and China.
He's evidently refusing to recertify it, but why?
I can't think of any reasons other than that he lacks the intelligence to distinguish between Iran's having nukes and Iran's support of violent minorities in other countries because he's just too stupid to undertand the analysis.
Or. his intent is even more age regressive. He's undoing it because Obama did it.
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Why would any country want to enter into an agreement with us as long as Trump is president? His words mean nothing, his intellect is substandard and his ethics are non-existent.
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When will this Twilight Zone "presidency" end? Anyone?
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Remember, he did lose the popular vote.
So today we get Netanyahu and his push for war in Iran to Israel's glory
on the top of the list again. He, world detested, had been quiet too long.
Wait for the usual neocons on the news panel shows tonight. The same ones
that got us into the Iraq war, with the idea of Iran next. Now they have
another try. That's what much of today was about.
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Who wants to bet that he could NOT point out Iran on an unmarked map?
How about on a marked map? Any takers???
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wow. what an utterly cowardly act of non-leadership.
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This morning I watched the Japan News in Japanese. The Japan News made clear that they view Trump as an Israeli Flunky, that Trump strengthened the anti-US politicians in Iran, and that Trump is a dishonorable treaty breaker. Does no one remember that when we made this treaty the sanctions were breaking down as European and Russian companies wanted to make money from giving nuclear materials, etc., to Iran? Trump now portrays Iran as the danger, just like Al Qaeda and ISIS, stupid move that damages our troops in the ME.
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How can we expect anything less from a President who cares little of us?
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Trump continues to serve Bannon and Putin's interests over those of the American people. This time he uses lies and thuggery to justify poisoning our authority in the Middle East. Where are the Republican leaders? How can they standstill while the head of the Republican Party stomps on all of those who sacrificed their lives for our already great nation? Stop him, now!
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Hey trump: why are we supporting Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest exporter of violent jihadist as evidenced by Saudi's Wahid faction of the Muslim religion?
Also, trump, please get us out of Yemen and other Middle East countries.
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Trump cites Iran's destabalizing influence? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
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Deplorable... As usual.
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This deal was another worthless unenforceable, unverifiable for show Obama deal. Kind of like his meaningless line in the sand in Syria.
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Clearly Trump is a "bad deal"
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Donald Trump desperately want to distract us from his election that, he's willing to take the American people to a War with the North Corée or the Iranians. We all know how to start a War, but nobody knows how the War end, and at what cost.
ART OF THE DEAL??? What a JOKE!!!!!
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Ya know, it's getting tougher and tougher living next door to you guys.
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Thank you President Trump for starting to clean up another mess left by the failed Obama Presidency.......no more red lines when dealing with Iran, Iraq and North Korea.
"Elections have consequences."
-- Barack Obama
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Actually that quote is from Dick Cheney.
Trump likes to run his mouth. He should take to twitter, the internet and broadcast media to encourage the Iranian people to overthrow their illegitimate, unelected dictators.
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The man is sick.
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Odds are.....1000 to 1 he's NEVER read it or any part of it. He got all his information from Sean Hannity, Steve Bannon, and Alex Jones. The only phrase he ever heard was...."Obama brokered this deal"... game over! This man - this so-called president is SICK in his heart, SICK in his head, SICK in his gut. My god man have you no decency!
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