RUTHFULLY YOURS

http://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2014/11/23/iran-obamas-biggest-failure-fails-again/?print=1

Among the many lies and failures of Barack Obama, ultimately the most dangerous, the most lethal for humanity, is his meretricious and pathetic pursuit of a nuclear deal with Iran. In negotiation, Obama and his minions have been treating the mullahs as if they were the leaders of Denmark, even to the point of sending fawning multiple mailings to Ayatollah Khamenei, as absurd an approach as it is asinine.

If Obama really wanted a deal, he would have gone about it in a very different manner, strengthening sanctions rather than weakening them, treating the mullahs as the autocratic religious fanatics that they are.  What Obama seems to want instead is the appearance that he seeks to deprive Iran of the bomb, not the actual result. (He may even want the reverse, unconsciously or even semi-consciously.  That would be more in line with his anti-imperialist views.)

Sunday evening, a day in advance of the conclusion of this round of talks, the AP ^[1] is already reporting the “shocking” news that U.S. negotiators are floating yet another extension to the Iranians.  The Wall Street Journal similarly posted “No Iran Deal Seen by Monday” ^[2] later in the evening.  This is such a predictable end to the hapless negotiations I imagine London bookmakers wouldn’t even have offered a hundred-to-one against it, maybe not a thousand to one.  Betting on the West would have been like betting on a horse with two broken legs and heart condition. It is clear the Iranian leadership is getting precisely what they wanted yet again — more time to build a bomb and improve their nuclear delivery capabilities, including ICBMs, which have no other use other than for nuclear attack. (Note for those who still think this is all about Israel.  The Iranians do not need ICBMs to reach Israel.  They would be for other purposes.) Meanwhile,  the Iranians continue their work on the plutonium-producing Arak facility and on stockpiling low-enriched uranium in oxide form.  Undoubtedly, they are up to a whole lot more than that we don’t know about.  They allow the IAEA to see exactly what they permit and nothing more.  Everything is under their control — or at least the ayatollah’s control.

One of the more interesting passages of the WSJ report is as follows:

U.S., European and Iranian officials said they have made progress over the past year in negotiations that have crisscrossed the world from Oman to New York. But Obama administration officials increasingly are questioning whether Iran’s most powerful political player, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has empowered Mr. Zarif and other negotiators to make the necessary concessions for a deal. Mr. Zarif has repeatedly said he’s empowered to negotiate but that Mr. Khamenei is the ultimate decision maker.

Just now they are questioning this?  It would have seemed elementary from the outset to anyone paying the slightest attention to how  the Islamic Republic of Iran works and  always has since 1979 without interruption.  Only a narcissist like Obama could think otherwise, think that his force of personality could overcome Khomeinist Shiite ideology.

Didn’t we learn from the nuclear negotiations with North Korea? Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me.  Fool me 38 times… I’m an imbecile.    Somehow this doesn’t appear to deter Obama, Kerry, Wendy Sherman & co. although all countries, not just the crazy NORKS,  have built their nuclear weapons in secret, including notably the U.S.  To expect Iran to do otherwise is sheer folly.  And the Iranians almost never deal transparently with the West in the first place.  Their religion almost requires deception towards us, again something Obama would never examine or admit.

Needless to say, the P5+1 ^[3] are making noises they are seeking assurances before this new extension (how many have there been — I forget) that the Iranians “aren’t just talking for the sake of winning time.” That’s almost a joke at this point, albeit about as dark a one as  you could find.  At this writing, the Iranian press is already announcing ^[4] an extension for one year, though the West denies it.

The invaluable Omri Ceren ^[5] of The Israel Project explains just how badly the West has done in these negotiations, calling it “win-win” for Iran.

It created a situation where Iranian leverage constantly increased while Western leverage constantly decreased.  The Iranians were allowed to stockpile uranium and build up their plutonium infrastructure, giving them more to trade away, while the West sanctions regime eroded due to financial relief, leaving us with less to trade with.

Ceren further points out that even with this easy regime the Iranians were already, shall we say, pushing the envelope.  He continues: “The argument in that context is that Iran is cheating on its obligations while we still have sanctions, so imagine what they’ll do once the sanctions are lifted.”

Imagine, indeed.  Or look out below.

So what can be done?  As one prominent politician recently said, “Elections have consequences.”  (Well, yes, that prominent politician doesn’t tell the truth much.  But, as with a stopped clock…)  That being the case, it’s up to the new Republican Congress to enact sanctions so onerous even the mad mullahs will flinch.  That should be one of the first things on the agenda in January. And if they don’t flinch — enact more until they do.  And if they still don’t flinch — up to you, Mr. Netanyahu.  (We know that prominent politician is not going to do anything.)

One last thing:  Remember how Obama turned away from the democracy demonstrators in the streets of Tehran several years ago?  That seemed reprehensible then.  Now it is morally disgusting beyond words.