Courtesy of USA News:
With the historic announcement out of Geneva on Saturday that Iran has agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for an easing of sanctions, President Obama scored one of the most unlikely — and potentially most meaningful — foreign policy victories of his time in office.
The capture of Osama bin Laden by Navy SEALs was thrilling and brought some closure to many Americans' collective grief over the Sept. 11 attacks, but the al-Qaeda leader posed a limited threat to American security after escaping Tora Bora, Afghanistan, in 2001.
By ending the Iraq War in his first term, Obama followed through on closing out an unpopular war and fulfilling a 2008 campaign pledge, but the endgame was inevitable and expected.
Just six months ago, it was close to fantasy for even some of the most optimistic Iran watchers that Tehran would be willing to come to the negotiation table with world powers, let alone the country it once deemed the "Great Satan."
This unlikely diplomatic route started with an exchange of letters between Obama and Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, this summer, followed with a telephone call between the two leaders earlier this year, and culminated with the agreement that was nailed down in the middle of the night in Geneva. (The White House also confirmed after the agreement was reached that senior administration officials secretly met on several occasions with Iranian officials in recent months.)
As could be expected Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu is less than optimistic about this deal:
"What was concluded in Geneva last night is not a historic agreement, it's a historic mistake," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters. "It's not made the world a safer place. Like the agreement with North Korea in 2005, this agreement has made the world a much more dangerous place."
But then again Netanyahu is the Jewish equivalent of a neo-con much like our Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, he needs there to be a great evil for his country to always be on guard against in order to justify his policies.
The fear mongers like Sarah Palin, Right Wing radio, and everybody over at Fox News will continue to claim that the President is being naive and that nobody can trust Iran. But many experts are coming forward with praise for this deal. It is far from perfect, but it is an important first step in convincing Iran to resist the urge to develop nuclear weapons and hopefully to develop better relations with the West.
Keep in mind that those who are speaking out against this deal, are those who have a vested interest in this President being an abject failure. Much like the Affordable Care Act they do not worry that this will fail, they worry that this will succeed.
President Obama is always distracting Sarah Palin's interviews, BWAHAHAHAHA.
ReplyDeleteThis, of course, was the hot topic on Fox News Sunday. Sarah made her cameo appearance. She had this tiny, flat chest cleavage bizarre thing going on with Belmonts. Chris allowed her to make a fool of herself by rambling on about Obamacare. Then she plugged her book.
DeleteSarah left, and the topic shifted back Iran.
The show ended with Ann Romney talking about her Thanksgiving book. All proceeds of Ann's book will be donated to a medical charity! What a fucking contrast! She made Sarah look foolish, petty, and stupid. It had to be intentional.
Oh boy. I am no fan of Queen Ann, but anyone who can make Palin look foolish is OK by me. Yes, indeed, Sarah, which charity is benefitting from your book sales again? I'm sure you don't need the money.
DeleteOh boy! Here comes the Star of David 6"x6" worn around the neck of our favorite End Times for Israel book hawker.
ReplyDeleteKind of hard for her to wear that when she's hawking a book about a fake war on Christmas. However, this is Sarah we're talking about. isn;t this tour about over? Doesn't she have to get home to Arizona and shoot her turkey? Decorate for the holidays? Talk to Trig? Line up a TV show deal for poor unemployed nanny Bristol?
DeleteApparently Israeli leaders are saying that they will now have to defend Israel all on their own. Does this mean that the US does not have to send millions of dollars annually to help Israeli defense?
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
Note today's NY Times article that discusses the Israeli response — the Israeli right and the left are not in agreement as is par for the course. Yesterday, NPR also had an interesting opinion piece about how the Saudis will react. The Mideast is complex and there will be a period of discontent. We live in interesting times and should support diplomacy that benefits all parties, not just countries with the largest bank accounts My hope is weapons makers/distributors will not be holding the world hostage to their greed and cynicism anymore.
DeleteShouldn't they have always protected their own country?
DeleteOT but this is pretty good.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2013/11/24/betty-bowers-proves-america-christian-nation.html
Put that in your poisonous craw and chew it, Tundra Turd!!!
ReplyDeleteSnort another line, Sarahbitch!
ReplyDeleteThe war mongers aren’t digging the landmark deal that the United States and five other world powers (P5 plus 1 partners: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, as well as the European Union) announced on Sunday to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for limited sanctions relief. It’s called diplomacy, and it’s what Obama ran on regarding his preferred approach to most foreign policy.
ReplyDeleteThe President’s sanctions against Iran and hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program have had a rather large first step success with this deal. Announcing it, Obama said, “Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure — a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”
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The President explained that he used diplomacy because he preferred to resolve this issue peacefully if possible, “Since I took office, I’ve made clear my determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. As I’ve said many times, my strong preference is to resolve this issue peacefully, and we’ve extended the hand of diplomacy. Yet for many years, Iran has been unwilling to meet its obligations to the international community. So my administration worked with Congress, the United Nations Security Council and countries around the world to impose unprecedented sanctions on the Iranian government.”
The sanctions that Republicans scoffed at have actually worked. Obama explained that they have had a “substantial impact on the Iranian economy”.
And the big deal (and it is a very big deal that the war mongers will try to play down in a desperate attempt to prove that peaceful diplomacy never works), “Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure — a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”
Obama explained that this is just a first step. “While today’s announcement is just a first step, it achieves a great deal. For the first time in nearly a decade, we have halted the progress of the Iranian nuclear program, and key parts of the program will be rolled back. Iran has committed to halting certain levels of enrichment and neutralizing part of its stockpiles. Iran cannot use its next-generation centrifuges, which are used for enriching uranium. Iran cannot install or start up new centrifuges, and its production of centrifuges will be limited. Iran will halt work at its plutonium reactor. And new inspections will provide extensive access to Iran’s nuclear facilities and allow the international community to verify whether Iran is keeping its commitments.”
In exchange, the U.S. and her allies will provide Iran with “modest relief”. “Over the next six months, we will work to negotiate a comprehensive solution.”
The President made the case for diplomacy again and stuck it to the war mongers (many of whom have been trying to paint Obama as weak on this issue because he wouldn’t escalate matters with force), “Ultimately, only diplomacy can bring about a durable solution to the challenge posed by Iran’s nuclear program. As President and Commander-in-Chief, I will do what is necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I have a profound responsibility to try to resolve our differences peacefully, rather than rush towards conflict. Today, we have a real opportunity to achieve a comprehensive, peaceful settlement, and I believe we must test it.”
Gee, this is being hailed as a landmark deal and yet we’ve been told that this president’s presidency is over because of website glitches. If that were even remotely true...
http://www.politicususa.com/2013/11/24/obamas-diplomatic-approach-brings-landmark-deal-iran-nuclear-program.html
Syrian chemical weapons destroyed. Iranian nuclear program halted. American lives lost: 0. Thank you, Mr. President!
ReplyDeletehttp://theobamadiary.com/
I'M IN TEARS.... Is the message I'm getting from young Iranians across the world, from Tokyo to Tehran to Geneva to Seattle. #IranTalks
Deletehttps://twitter.com/NegarMortazavi/statuses/404439407903510528
Deputy Secretary of State William Burns has led a secret U.S. back channel to Iran going back to before the June election of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, U.S. officials told Al-Monitor.
ReplyDeleteBurns was tapped to lead the US diplomatic effort to establish a bilateral channel with Iran, which gained momentum after the exchange of letters between US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Rouhani in early August, US officials said. Led by Burns, the US’s second highest ranking diplomat and a former lead US Iran nuclear negotiator, the US effort to form direct diplomatic contacts with Iran also includes two officials from the Obama White House: Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor to Vice President Joe Biden, and Puneet Talwar, the National Security Staff senior director for Iran, Iraq, and Persian Gulf affairs, US officials confirmed. Talwar’s role in back channel discussions with Iran was previously reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Following the exchange of letters between Obama and Rouhani in August, “Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns met bilaterally with Iranian counterparts,” several times over the past few months, starting before the UN General Assembly opening session in September and in Geneva this month, a senior U.S. Administration official told Al-Monitor in an interview late Friday.
President Obama referred obliquely to the establishment of a direct U.S.-Iranian channel in a statement from the White House after negotiators for six world powers and Iran reached a nuclear deal here in Geneva tonight.
“We have pursued intensive diplomacy – bilaterally with the Iranians, and together with our P5+1 partners: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, and China, as well as the European Union,” Obama said from the White House Saturday. “Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure – a future in which we can verify that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful, and that it cannot build a nuclear weapon.”
Al-Monitor learned that Burns was in Geneva during the second round of nuclear talks between the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (the US, UK, France, Russia, China) plus Germany (P5+1) and Iran held here November 7-9, and subsequently learned additional details about the bilateral channel, but agreed to hold the story at the administration’s request until the conclusion of the third round of nuclear talks that ended here in a breakthrough tonight.
Al-Monitor also learned that Burns is also currently in Geneva during this, the third round, of P5+1 Iran nuclear negotiations. Both times, he did not stay at the main diplomatic hotel, the Intercontinental, where many of the negotiations have taken place, but at another site, the US official said. Talwar has been seen by journalists at bus stops in the city and running towards the hotel at various times during the last three rounds of talks here; it could not be confirmed if he was relaying messages between the discussions taking place on site at the hotel, where the US, European and Iranian delegations stay, to Burns at another site.
US officials did not confirm by name which Iranian officials participated in the meetings with Burns. Al-Monitor was told, however, it involved his Iranian diplomatic counterparts, suggesting that they could include Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Ravanchi, the top deputies on the Iranian nuclear negotiating team led by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Iranian officials did not respond to previous queries from Al-Monitor about alleged meetings with Burns.
“You know we have always said...
http://backchannel.al-monitor.com/index.php/2013/11/7115/exclusive-burns-led-secret-us-back-channel-to-iran/#ixzz2lXCvXTbH
Iran’s leadership Sunday hailed the interim nuclear deal brokered in Geneva between Iranian envoys and representatives of the United States and five other world powers.
ReplyDeleteIran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thanked President Hassan Rouhani and his negotiating team in a message that called the Geneva talks a "success," a crucial sign of support from the nation's ultimate arbiter of national security issues.
The Iranian president, meantime, gave a nationally televised address labeling the agreement a breakthrough that could eventually help eliminate the vise of international sanctions, which have put a stranglehold on Iran’s economy in recent years.
The accord, Rouhani said, “marks a starting point for a new experience for the Iranian nation,” and a global recognition of Iran’s right to nuclear power.
Rouhani, a soft-spoken cleric and longtime government insider, was elected in June on a pledge to work toward alleviating the crippling sanctions and heighten Tehran’s engagement with the world. The deal brokered in Geneva represents a major political victory for the new president, who faces opposition at home from hard-liners opposed to any perceived compromise with the West.
Iran’s president spoke at a news conference here flanked by widows and other relatives of Iranian nuclear scientists assassinated in recent years in a series of attacks that Tehran has blamed on Israel.
Pro-government commentators also lauded the agreement, hammered out during four days of intense negotiation in Geneva between Iran and six nations: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
“Iranians see this as a major achievement,”...
http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-irans-leaders-nuclear-deal-20131124,0,4099996.story#axzz2lZQgxldi
The United States and Iran secretly engaged in a series of high-level, face-to-face talks over the past year, in a high-stakes diplomatic gamble by the Obama administration that paved the way for the historic deal sealed early Sunday in Geneva aimed at slowing Tehran's nuclear program, The Associated Press has learned.
ReplyDeleteThe discussions were kept hidden even from America's closest friends, including its negotiating partners and Israel, until two months ago, and that may explain how the nuclear accord appeared to come together so quickly after years of stalemate and fierce hostility between Iran and the West.
But the secrecy of the talks may also explain some of the tensions between the U.S. and France, which earlier this month balked at a proposed deal, and with Israel, which is furious about the agreement and has angrily denounced the diplomatic outreach to Tehran.
President Barack Obama personally authorized the talks as part of his effort - promised in his first inaugural address - to reach out to a country the State Department designates as the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism.
The talks were held in the Middle Eastern nation of Oman and elsewhere with only a tight circle of people in the know, the AP learned. Since March, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Jake Sullivan, Vice President Joe Biden's top foreign policy adviser, have met at least five times with Iranian officials.
The last four clandestine meetings, held since Iran's reform-minded President Hassan Rouhani was inaugurated in August, produced much of the agreement later formally hammered out in negotiations in Geneva among the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China, Germany and Iran, said three senior administration officials. All spoke only on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss by name the highly sensitive diplomatic effort.
The AP was tipped to the first U.S.-Iranian meeting in March shortly after it occurred...
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAN_SECRET_TALKS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
FIXED: first Syria "blunder," now the Iran deal. I don't know how many more historic, peaceful pacts the Obama presidency can withstand
ReplyDeleteyes, watch out. We'll be out of Afghanistan next year, and what will the military industrial complex do then?
DeleteLots to see here:
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/NegarMortazavi
Palin Accepts Bashir’s Apology, Derides MSNBC’s ‘Executive Hypocrisy’
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mediaite.com/tv/palin-derides-msnbcs-executive-hypocrisy-over-bashirs-vile-evil-comments/
Sarah sucks up to Fox and tries to play it humble. And she fails miserably.
Deletehttp://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/11/24/palin-god-blessed-with-me-a-platform-on-fox-news-to-defend-myself/
So, the Klondike Kardashian is playing the victim card once again. I am so sorry your feelings were hurt. So moving on. Let's talk about your little game to make up lies about the ACA so millions of your fellow Americans can be denied health care.
DeleteMore word salad from the quitter. Bashir apologized, but she can't "move on and charge forth" as she is too busy playing the "victim". She is probably thankful for Bashir's comment as it gives her more air time.
DeleteYes. If Palin can't discern between the institution of slavery and the ACA then perhaps she should have to experience one of the atrocities that took place during slavery. She should eat shiiiit, get publically whipped half naked, be forced to "breed" with a stranger, have her young son ripped from her arms and sold away for mere pennies, be forced to service her master at will. Then lets see how "parallels" she finds between the two. I'm guessing she'd see none.
Delete"that microphone that god has blessed me to be able to express my opinion"
DeleteUnless God is an old geezer senator from Arizona who plucked you from obscurity and, to his great regret, I am sure, foisted you upon the American people, I think your assertion of divine right is misplaced.
Well, Mrs. Palin I'm sorry Martin Bashir hurt your feelings. However, to be honest....... I find your comparison of slavery to the ACA/debt far more problematic. When are you going to apologize to the descendants of slaves for dishonoring their ancestors memories? If you think what's going on right now is anything like slavery your stupider then you look. What Bashier did was highlight for you one of the many atrocities that commonly took place during that time period. He then suggested that perhaps since you're obviously a slow learner you need to have the same done to you in order to grasp the difference between slavery and our current predicament.
DeleteWhat an odd comment that anyone should "apologize to Todd and her children". They did not make the comment about "slavery" which started this whole ridiculous thing. She did. I have never seen another "politician" using their families as props the way Palin does. She is truly a pathetic, vile woman and McCain should regret the day he unleashed her on the public.
DeletePalin knew exactly what she was doing when she used the word slavery. She has to make outrageous comments to get attention. Otherwise, she would never be in the news. She even prefaced her remarks by saying this is not racist. There was no need for that if she was only making an innocent comment. She knew exactly what she was doing.
DeleteSee, Sarah, the thing is this....the "media elite bubble" don't feel the need to attack defenseless children, only mean-spirited martyr victims who dish out disgusting statements on a daily basis , and since you get back what you put out into the world, Sarah, that portends a bleak future for you. Palin has made a career of spewing petty insults and uttering banal, snarky remarks directed at anyone whose socio-political views conflict hers.
DeleteAs the old adage says -- what goes around eventually comes around.
She has had so much work done on her face that her upper lip doesn't move. She looks weird. And those fake chesticles are hilarious. She doesn't even have a cleavage.
DeleteNow it's her turn. When is she going to apologize for saying that candidate Obama "pals around with terrorists"? When is she going to apologize to the citizens that live in cities for saying the real Americans are the ones who live in rural areas and small towns? When is she going to apologize for running for Vice President when she didn't even know what someone in that office does? When is she going to apologize for never doing her homework so she actually knows what she's talking about? When is she going to apologize for ginning up hatred for her fellow Americans every time she opens her mouth to talk? When is she going to apologize for all her lies?
DeletePresident Obama could cure cancer and they'd still bitch about Big Pharma getting cut out of their profits,
ReplyDeleteAgree!
DeleteOT: watched a small part of Sarah on Fox (can't stand to watch too much of her at once.) Lots of slurred and mixed-up words which I found surprising. Wow: drugged or drunk, I guess, who knows. Imagine what they edited out!
ReplyDeleteThat's probably the real reason she cut Nebraska and left Plano early, they couldn't get her drugs stabilized correctly, it's very hard to do with drug addicts. I am betting there will be at least one more "weather issue" or "personal issue" before her very short book tour is done.
DeleteThe trained monkey Sarah is too much of a drug addict to perform on a regular schedule.
Looked bad to me, her eyes looked wasted.
DeleteYea, President Obama, your Administration and Secretary of State Kerry! Job well done! In spite of the negative from the right side of the aisle, the majority in America support and approve of the job you are doing!!!
ReplyDeleteThis cannot be said ENOUGH. This president is running circles around his critics and they are fuming about it. He just keep raising the bar on adult leadership and humane approaches to foreign policy. John Kerry is proving to be a great choice for SOS and kudos to him for all his hard work and spectacular results. Yep, they hate the 'Peace Prize' president is earning his prize everyday.
DeleteI had my qualms about Kerry, who has sounded hawkish (especially when he was running for POTUS) but he is doing a great job. A big middle finger to anyone who prefers death and destruction to talking things out. That means you, Sarah.
DeleteHow can it not be a good thing? We already have this deal with other countries including Russia.
ReplyDeleteHappy dance. Let Israel make its own peace with others...or not.
ReplyDeleteColumnists keep writing as if the Obama presidency were a thing of the past; a tabloid headline shrieked that President Obama was begging Oprah Winfrey to save his presidency. What rocks are these people living under? President Obama and his administration and the ACA and the economy are doing just fine despite five years of unending GOP obstruction. I'm so proud that President Obama has achieved so much. And kudos to Secretary of State John Kerry and to his predecessor, Hillary Clinton! A job very well done!
ReplyDeleteBeaglemom
I support our President and try to not get wrapped up in the negativity against him. He deserves more credit for what he's accomplished and will continue to accomplish. We need to spread the word no matter how many obstacles they throw out. I will always support this administration, they should get the support of us all.
ReplyDeleteThis a temporary deal that seems to have a lot of restrictions on Iran and many ways of verifying that they're doing what they promised.
ReplyDeleteIf it doesn't work, then we can always go back to the sanctions and isolation of Iran by the majority of the world's countries. In the meantime, the only thing we lose is some time.
If it does work, we've dramatically reduced or eliminated one of the most frightening threats in the world today, without firing a single shot.
Of course we could always go the same route that the Shrub went with Iraq and mire ourselves in an endless war, sacrificing trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives.
I'll take Diplomacy for $1,000, Alex!
Not only are the people against this after the President, but they do not want peace anywhere. They wasnt a war state, a surveillance state, a world where the poor are killed and who cares? A world where Cheney and Bush make billions off war contracts, and walk away to set up libraries and 'think tanks' to ensure the US never strikes any deals that may result in avoiding another war. They think it's jsut fine to send poor young men and women off to war to be killed and mutilated, and then to deny them healthcare when they return, and deny their families any chance of climbing out of the enforced poverty. They want these soldiers to swear to a Christian God, who is totally against all fo this. They are evil to the core, this GOP. And I am so glad this happened AFTER Palin's TV spot, ot she would have worn her big tourist Star of David and gone on and on about how Obama hates the Jews. This from the woman who only mentioned Kwanzaa and Hanukkah today because someone spelled it out phonetically for her.
ReplyDeleteTime for Sarah "boom boom" Palin to start polishing that Star of David pendant she's abandoned for quite some time. Just grind down the point, don't want to spring a leak while pimping your failure of a book!
ReplyDeleteTHIS speech is precisely why I voted for President Obama. The man has been working tirelessly, and against all obstructions, has gotten quite a lot done both here and on the world stage, He's a good man and one of the best presidents I've seen in my lifetime
This first step is a big deal. At least he's gotten some traction toward diplomacy.
The Faux Noise Channel is exploding with idle chatter Can't wait for Fox Moose's facebook blowout! This is gonna be good! .
Funny how the sudden focus on this story seems to correlate directly with the Martin Bashir "outrage"
ReplyDelete