Key Democrat Caves to White House on Iran Sanctions

[Jesus Malverde]

Source: Foreign Policy

A last-minute effort to introduce new Iran sanctions legislation before the Christmas recess collapsed on Thursday morning following intense pressure from the White House and State Department.

Ever since Iran and six world powers signed an interim agreement to restrain Tehran's nuclear program, the Obama administration has opposed any new sanctions legislation against the Islamic state, saying it would derail delicate nuclear talks in Geneva. In defiance of that position, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, huddled with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) to craft a non-binding resolution that outlines the terms of a final nuclear deal with Iran and calls for additional sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

A congressional aide tells The Cable that Hoyer personally made edits to the resolution and all four lawmakers agreed on the final language as of Wednesday night. However, on Thursday morning, Hoyer backed off unexpectedly.

"Mr. Hoyer decided now was not the time to move forward with a resolution given implementation talks have not yet wrapped in Vienna," Hoyer spokeswoman Stephanie Young tells The Cable, referring to upcoming talks in Austria.

Read more: http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2013/12/12/key_democrat_caves_to_white_house_on_iran_sanctions

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Thank you Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer for your incredible courage.

[lostincalifornia]

1. Courage? He should not have even hesitated

[AlbertCat]

5. He should not have even hesitated

Yeah... he just "caved"....

Who writes these headlines?

Anything to make the Dem seem weak and confused....

[Ash_F]

8. His district is nearly 70% Dem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland's_5th_congressional_district

He shouldn't have anything to worry about. I don't get the 'courage' comment either.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. a small ray of sanity and reason, despite immense pressures

from AIPAC and war-mongering assholes?

Amazing. And welcome.

[Cha]

3. And, thank you, Jesus for

reporting on this encouraging developement.

[Jesus Malverde]

13. You're welcome Cha..

I'm glad to see peace is being given a chance.

[QuestForSense]

4. I don't think courage is a word for Hoyer without the sarcasm tag.

He can collude with that idiot Canter and those two other fucks to screw things up royally, but not to right any wrongs or make the world a better place? The only thing he has done well is earn the derision with which he is now viewed. He's gotta go.

[Laelth]

6. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Historic NY]

7. Let the diplomatic path proceed...

nothing else has worked until this fledgling agreement has been crafted. Its wiser to see what Iran does now in the time they were given.

[Maedhros]

9. This is a great example of how Obama can bring obfuscatory Democrats to heel

when he really wants to.

[raging moderate]

10. Hooray for Steny Hoyer!

One of our unsung heroes! Again and again.

[babylonsister]

11. Another POV...

Eric Cantor Takes Steps to Give Netanyahu Power Over American Middle East Policy
By: Rmuse
Tuesday, December, 10th, 2013, 9:48 am


For over two centuries it was fairly established that in America, the people elected a president with the authority to set the nation’s foreign policy. That all changed when the people elected an African American man as President. In early 2009, Republicans, in concert with Democrats loyal to Israel, gave Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu control of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Last week, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor took steps to reassert Netanyahu’s power over American Middle East policy to thwart the P5+1 agreement that halts Iran’s alleged nuclear weapon program. It is important to clarify right away that Netanyahu is not an American citizen, not an American elected official, and has not been appointed by any president’s administration as Secretary of State or Middle East policy advisor, and yet Republicans obey the foreigner explicitly.

Even before an agreement was reached between America, Germany, Russia, France, England and Iran to halt Iran’s nuclear ambitions, Netanyahu let it be known he would veto the deal through his surrogates, and after it was reached he said was a “historic mistake.” Ever the obedient American, and knowing Netanyahu demanded Republicans correct the “historic mistake,” Eric Cantor is pushing hard for legislation in the House to levy stricter sanctions on Iran to break the conditions necessary for the agreement to move forward. In fact, shortly after the historic deal was announced, Cantor reiterated Netanyahu’s warning that “this interim deal with Iran is, in fact, dangerous. It is a deal which brings Iran closer to becoming a nuclear power.” It is also a deal that Cantor is determined to thwart and among the reasons is that Netanyahu cannot allow it.

There are several reasons Cantor is obeying Netanyahu and attempting to force America to renege on its part of the agreement with Iran besides allowing Netanyahu to dictate America’s Middle East policy. It puts President Obama in his place and subjects him to Netanyahu’s leadership, creates conditions for American involvement in another Middle East war, satisfies the religious right’s quest to bring about the war of Armageddon and recall Jesus to Earth, signals the defense and oil industry their fortunes are about to rise, and gives neo-cons another opportunity to kill Muslims. Republicans have been disgusted with President Obama’s foreign policy of diplomacy over pre-emptive war, and it was only a matter of time before they found a suitable way for America to go back on its agreement and reestablish Iranian mistrust of the United States and set a path for war.

Cantor wasted little time setting up opposition to the historic agreement and began spreading lies about it as it related to the Non Proliferation Treaty and Iran’s legal right to enrich uranium as a signatory of the NPT. Cantor wrote that, “The text of the interim agreement with Iran explicitly and dangerously recognizes that Iran will be allowed to enrich uranium when it describes a ‘mutually defined enrichment program’ in a final, comprehensive deal. It is clear why the Iranians are claiming this deal recognizes their right to enrich.” Cantor’s pretext is that Iran has no right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes as a Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory, and because the agreement fails to deny Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful purpose, their claim to that right automatically means it is a “bad deal.” However, according to Article IV of the NPT, “Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and in conformity with articles I and II of this Treaty.” Despite Cantor’s lies, Iran has every right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as written in the historic agreement, but he is aware that the majority of Americans will never read the agreement or the NPT.

more...

http://www.politicususa.com/2013/12/10/eric-cantor-takes-steps-give-netanyahu-power-american-middle-east-policy.html

[bvar22]

12. I have a lot of trouble trusting Steny Hoyer.

AFIC, he is a part of the DLC/Big Business/ Free Trade/ Anti-LABOR Business Friendly Conservative Wing of the Democratic Party.
He knows how to sound like a Democrat;
he just doesn't know how to be a Democrat when the chips are down.

I remember watching a TV interview with Hoyer and Ed Schultz.
Schultz asked Hoyer for a commitment to NOT support cuts to Social Security,
and Hoyer did the Weasel Dance the whole way.

"Don't let conservative Democrats slash Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid!"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/125117963

Steny Hoyer: Even Liberals Think He's a Beltway Bandit
<snip>
"Hoyer spent the last many years bragging to reporters about his efforts to establish a Democratic version of indicted-Rep. Tom DeLay's K Street Project--the operation that trades legislative favors for money from corporate lobbyists. He famously trumpeted an article about his K Street Project on his official congressional Web site at the very same time Democrats were campaigning against Republicans' 'culture of corruption.'"

Hoyer "has parroted much of the rhetoric of the Democratic Leadership Council--the corporate front group that has relentlessly pushed Democrats to provide the crucial congressional votes necessary to pass "free" trade pacts," Sirota explained. "Hoyer has repositioned himself--one can only assume for political purposes -- as the DLC business candidate."

Sirota concluded, "If Democrats are looking for a a person who regurgitates the Beltway's conventional wisdom of the day, no matter how bad for the party and the country--then they have their candidate in Steny Hoyer."

http://mikehethmon.typepad.com/croomstationsignal/2008/03/steny-hoyer-eve.html

Steny Hoyer Attacks his Democratic Base
http://www.democrats.com/steny-hoyer-attacks-his-democratic-base


For some interesting and enlightening reading,
do a DU Site Search for "Hoyer DLC".



[font color=firebrick][center]"There are forces within the Democratic Party who want us to sound like kinder, gentler Republicans.
I want a party that will STAND UP for Working Americans."
---Paul Wellstone [/font][/center] [center] [/font]
[font size=1]photo by bvar22
Shortly before Sen Wellstone was killed[/center][/font]