Iran Should Have Been a Slam Dunk for Trump, But He Bungled It
By Steve Berman | July 18, 2017, 03:30pm | @stevengberman President Trump should have done what he said he would do. He should have torn up the Iran deal on his first day in office. He should have put Iran on notice and let Congress deal with the consequences. But a few months into his term, he let advisors talk him into certifying Iran’s compliance with the deal.
This time around, Trump was once again convinced to give Iran a pass, The reasons given for the decision was to give the administration more time to work with Congress before pulling the plug. The New York Times reported Monday:
“
At an hourlong meeting last Wednesday, all of the president’s major security advisers recommended he preserve the Iran deal for now. Among those who spoke out were Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson; Defense Secretary Jim Mattis; Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, the national security adviser; and Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to an official who described internal discussions on the condition of anonymity. The official said Mr. Trump had spent 55 minutes of the meeting telling them he did not want to.
Trump should have gone with his gut this time. But that’s the hazard of always shooting from the hip. With the president distracted by his war on the press, the administration went forward with plans to re-certify Iran’s compliance this quarter, until Trump voiced his objections. ABC News reported:
“
Then, just as the White House was preparing to brief reporters, the announcement was abruptly halted and the talking points temporarily recalled as the president reconsidered the decision, according to officials and others briefed by the administration. Among the options Trump discussed with Tillerson and other aides was to extend the sanctions relief but refuse to certify Iran’s compliance, several officials said.
Nobody in the administration had prepared Congress, talking points, or any kind of strategy to deal with yanking the Iran deal (formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or “JCPOA”). So, ultimately, Trump was forced by his own lack of self-discipline to go ahead with something he didn’t want to do, and in fact should not have done.
<..snip..>
http://theresurgent.com/iran-should-have-been-a-slam-dunk-for-trump-but-he-bungled-it/
