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International News Title: Senator who spearheaded letter to Iran got $1 million from Kristol’s ‘Emergency C’tee for Israel’ The U.S. media have been sadly incurious about the origins of yesterday’s unprecedented Open Letter of 47 Republicans to the Iranian leadership seeking to block the president’s likely deal with Iran. The press has portrayed the letter as the work of Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, a 37-year-old freshman senator so new to the limelight that the New York Times got his name wrong on first impression. But as a Times commenter writes, “Does anyone really believe the ‘freshman senator from Arkansas’ wrote the letter? No.” The media are all over the unprecedented nature of the letter — which informs Iranian hardliners that Obama’s likely deal with Iran is a “mere executive agreement.” Chris Matthews and Chris Hayes and Michael Steele on MSNBC last night all expressed outrage or surprise. Paul Waldman at the Washington Post calls the letter “stunning” and “appalling.” But apart from a passing reference to neocons from Matthews, no one is looking under the hood. I don’t know who wrote the letter, but I can tell you whose fingerprints are on it: the only folks who are supporting it publicly, the hard-right Israel lobby. Even as Cotton himself splutters on national television, rightwing lobby groups are the main voices out there defending the letter. Like Bill Kristol of the Emergency Committee for Israel: Cotton open letter: “Just so you know, we’re a constitutional democracy. Congress (or next president) has a say.” Dem response: Hysteria. J Street’s Dylan Williams fingers Bill Kristol for writing the letter: Who gave @SenTomCotton & others the awful idea for the Iran letter? Seems like Sarah Palin-for-VP-level bad advice doesn’t it @BillKristol ? There’s a reason for Williams’s suspicion. Kristol’s Emergency Committee for Israel gave Tom Cotton nearly $1 million in his race for the Senate just five months ago, Eli Clifton reported. “Cotton received $960,250 in supportive campaign advertising in the last month.” (Thanks to Kay24 in comments). Cotton also got $165,000 from Elliott Management Paul Singer’s hedge fund. Singer is the billionaire who is trying to stop Obama’s Iran talks (Clifton’s reporting again). He funds the Israel Project too– Josh Block’s efforts. Josh Block has been standing up for the letter on Twitter. And the rightwing Israel Project offered support for the letter in an email last night: The letter has gotten support from David Frum, the former Bush aide who wrote of taking on Saddam Hussein, “It’s victory or Holocaust.” On twitter: “Time after time, Obama has told Congress to go to hell. Now Congress is telling Obama to go to hell.” The Republican Jewish Coalition, a pro-Israel group, has also supported the letter. Josh Block used to work at AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and is sometimes thought to speak for AIPAC. AIPAC is staying silent, while pushing further sanctions on Iran. But former AIPAC staffer MJ Rosenberg has explained why he believes AIPAC penned the letter. As he tweeted today: Nothing happens on Capitol Hill related to Israel unless and until Howard Kohr (AIPAC chief) wants it to happen. Nothing. What network is behind this letter? People have a right to know. The media should be sending reporters out to dig into these connections. Imagine if the Koch Brothers were pushing some initiative on states’ rights or abortion. Would the media be so incurious? No. The scandal of the Netanyahu speech and the efforts by Israel to derail US negotiations with Iran has surely exposed the workings of the Israel lobby to the eyes of the American public to an unprecedented degree. But the media have to do more.
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#1. To: Willie Green (#0)
Few news reports have bothered to point out the obvious. Treaty ratification requires 67 votes in the Senate. So these GOP senators represent plenty of votes to ensure no treaty can be ratified with a handful to spare. And enough to make Iran doubt the durability of any agreement or that it will continue to represent a green light for their nuke program. It also means that if Israel, alone or in combination with the Saudis, decides to attack their program directly, the Senate is unlikely to condemn such an attack and would likely vote a resolution to support such an attack.
If the Saudis & Israelis want to launch a preemptive strike against Iran, I think it would be wise for our Commander-in-Chief to bring our own troops home where they could watch the fireworks from a safe distance. If they don't want to pursue peaceful negotiations then we shouldn't participate in THEIR war. And Congress can't force the Commander-in-Chief to send the troops into battle.
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