Obama Says U.S. Loses Nothing by Waiting on Iran Sanctions

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

By Margaret Talev and Terry Atlas - Nov 15, 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama argued for offering Iran “modest” relief on sanctions in exchange for progress on nuclear talks and urged Congress to hold off on imposing more economic penalties.

“We can dial those sanctions right back up” if Iran doesn’t live up to an agreement, Obama said yesterday at a White House news conference. “If we’re serious about pursuing diplomacy, then there’s no need for us to add new sanctions on top of the sanctions that are already very effective and that brought them to the table in the first place.”

Obama got backing today from Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who is chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. New sanctions at this time “would not lead to a better deal,” she said in a statement. “It would lead to no deal at all.

‘‘I am baffled by the insistence of some senators to undermine’’ the negotiations between world powers and Iran, she said.

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-15/obama-says-u-s-loses-nothing-by-waiting-on-iran-talks.html

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

1. Why should she be baffled?

Seemingly there are a contingent of congress critters that believe that Israel is one of their constituents.

From the article...

Netanyahu has advocated further increasing sanctions pressure on Iran until it agrees to irreversibly give up its uranium enrichment operations, which could be used to produce fuel for nuclear weapons if the nation were to break out of international monitoring. Israel also wants construction terminated on a reactor at Arak, which could provide plutonium, an alternative route to a weapon.

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Netanyahu calls on American Jews to oppose any US/European deal with Iran

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024034558

[Cali_Democrat]

3. Hey Feinstein

don't you realize those folks in Congress will do everything they can to undermine Obama? In fact, Obama might have been better off if he insisted the sanctions move forward, then those Republicans in Congress would do the opposite because they hate Obama so much.

Reverse psychology.

[karynnj]

4. Unfortunately, many Democrats - such as Menendez are leading

the effort to get sanctions. I almost regret that I ever volunteered to canvas and phone bank for him -- which I did partly because of a KERRY email supporting him!

Too bad that we could not clone Kerry and keep one copy as Chair of Senate Foreign Relations!

[Jansen]

5. Maybe. Maybe not!

I would not be surprised if Obama had done that if the talking point was rolled out... that's a start but he's not going far enough!!!

Obama might have been better off if he insisted the sanctions move forward, then those Republicans in Congress would do the opposite because they hate Obama so much.

Reverse psychology.