Kerry Tells Israel That Syria Accord Is No Prelude To Iran Deal

[Purveyor]

Source: Washington Post

By Anne Gearan and William Booth, Sunday, September 15, 2:44 PM

JERUSALEM — Secretary of State John F. Kerry flew to Jerusalem on Sunday to reassure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S.-Russia deal to secure Syria’s chemical weapons does not diminish American resolve to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.

Seeing the deal through the prism of Iran, the Obama administration knows that its commitment to strike Iran if diplomacy fails is now under question.

President Obama told ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos” in an interview broadcast Sunday that Iran understands that its nuclear program is “a far larger issue for us” than the use of chemical weapons in Syria and that the threat a nuclear-armed Iran would pose to Israel “is much closer to our core interests.”

Obama said that Iran recognizes it shouldn’t draw the wrong conclusion because he made the decision not to launch a missile strike against Syria. “My suspicion is that the Iranians recognize they shouldn’t draw a lesson that we haven’t struck [Syria] to think we won’t strike Iran,” he said.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/kerry-tells-israel-that-syria-accord-no-prelude-to-iran-deal/2013/09/15/b375f724-1e21-11e3-9ad0-96244100e647_story.html

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Whew, at least that war remains a possibility.

[karynnj]

3. Imagine the article used a Kerry quote- Diplomacy has always been the preferred path,” Kerry said. “

In fact, I suspect the deal in Syria makes more likely a deal with Iran that moves them back into the world community.

The headline is designed to fit an agenda. Read the entire article and you will see that the purpose of the meeting -- which incidentally was scheduled BEFORE the agreement, was to speak about the Israel/Palestine talks (he spoke to Abbas last week) and - given the agreement about Syria.

The meat of the article is on the second page.

Following a lengthy lunch meeting with Netanyahu, Kerry told reporters that the session focused both on the ongoing Israel-Palestinian peace talks and on the Syria diplomacy.

Kerry said his goal in the Syria deal is a “standard of behavior” that would also apply to Iran or North Korea “or any other state, rogue state that . . . might try to reach for these kinds of weapons.”

Although U.S. officials have said they do not contemplate seeking U.N. authorization for any military response if Syria fails to comply, Kerry made a point of noting that the deal will be enforceable by force or lesser means.

(snip - WP summary of past Obama position)
“Diplomacy has always been the preferred path,” Kerry said. “But make no mistake, we’ve taken no options off the table.”

[another_liberal]

2. Just in the nick of time too!

Actual peace was on the verge of breaking out! That could easily have led to horrors such as real cuts in defense spending and even reorientation of our government's attention toward domestic priorities.

Talk about your close calls!