Wednesday, February 25, 2015
From: Gary L. Bauer
Iran Is Already Cheating
The Obama Administration has yet to formally reach a deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program, but already the Islamic Republic is cheating.
Reuters reported yesterday that Iran has smuggled “at least $1 billion in cash” into the country in violation of sanctions imposed as a result of its clandestine nuclear programs. But that’s peanuts.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a coalition of organizations opposed to the mullahs, yesterday exposed the existence of a secret uranium enrichment site, hidden at a military base in the Tehran suburbs.
During a press conference yesterday, Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI, told reporters that information about the new nuclear lab comes from “highly placed sources within the Iranian regime as well as those involved in the nuclear weapons projects.”
The NCRI is not some group of disaffected radicals looking to make headlines. The Christian Science Monitor noted that Mr. Jafarzadeh and the NCRI were “behind the bombshell revelation of Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment site and the Arak plutonium facility.”
While everyone in Washington is gearing up for a fight over the details of the deal, the basic point is that we shouldn’t even be trying to cut a deal with Iran. This regime has a long history of bad behavior.
As I noted yesterday, Iran is responsible for the deaths of U.S. troops. Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. Its leader calls for the destruction of Israel and calls America “the great Satan.” It has routinely blocked international inspections of its known nuclear sites. And it is conducting combat exercises aimed at taking out our aircraft carriers.
No American president should ever trust this regime to honor its word when it comes to the world’s most destructive weapons.
Mr. Jafarzadeh told reporters, “It is absolutely senseless to continue the negotiations.” I couldn’t agree more.
Sounding The Alarm
Iran is marching toward nuclear weapons. Putin is marching into Ukraine. ISIS is marching throughout the Middle East and North Africa. With each passing day, the world becomes a more dangerous place and America is increasingly ill-equipped to respond.
That is why I joined 80 leading foreign policy and national security experts urging congressional leaders to increase defense spending. Among those signing the letter were former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, former Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Editor Bill Kristol, former Senators Joseph Lieberman and Jim Talent and former Deputy National Security advisor Elliott Abrams.
Our letter to House Speaker John Boehner, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Harry Reid reminded them of these disturbing facts:
“In the last three years, the Army’s strength has been cut by nearly 100,000 soldiers. The Navy’s contingency response force is at one-third the level of what it should be. Less than half of the Air Force’s combat squadrons are fully ready. Approximately half of the Marine Corps’ non-deployed units lack sufficient personnel, equipment, and training.”
The Divided States Of America
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani created a firestorm in recent days when he questioned President Obama’s love for America. Giuliani knew his comments were divisive. He prefaced them by saying, “I know this is a horrible thing to say. . .”
The polling firm Rasmussen Reports decided to ask the American people what they thought. While 92% of voters said that they loved America, only 51% could say the same for Obama. Forty-nine percent either said the president didn’t love America or they weren’t sure if he did.
What is it about this president and his policies that has half the country questioning his patriotism? Reverend Franklin Graham offered some suggestions in Facebook post Monday:
“Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has taken a lot of heat from the media for his remark that he’s not sure if President Obama really loves America. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I do know that the president defends Islam and chastises Christians, rebukes our allies and befriends our enemies, and fully supports gay marriages and abortion but denies the religious freedoms of those who don’t agree. Our nation is ridiculed abroad and morally crumbling within. We are in trouble. We have turned our back on God.”
Rudy Giuliani is no extremist. He got elected in one of the most diverse, liberal bastions in America. Reverend Graham is one of America’s leading religious figures who speaks for many evangelical Christians. That both men would make such statements speaks volumes about the growing sense of unease about the direction of our country.
Walker Whacked For His Faith
A few days ago, reporters tried to trap Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in a game of “gotcha,” asking whether he thought President Obama was a Christian. When the governor answered honestly, saying, “I don’t know,” big media pummeled him for doubting their political messiah. Now they are mocking Walker for his faith.
Like most Americans, Governor Walker is a man of faith. He has often said that as he considers his future, he is trying to “discern God’s calling” for him.
That innocuous comment led the anti-Christian bigots at the Freedom From Religion Foundation to file an official records request demanding the governor’s office “provide a copy/transcript of all communications with God, the Lord, Christ, Jesus or any other form of deity.”
Left-wing blogger Taegan Goddard piled on, tweeting yesterday, “Gov. Scott Walker’s office was unable to provide any transcripts of his conversations with God.” This was a dog whistle to the left, mocking Walker as an unstable nut who hears voices in his head. Other liberal bloggers and columnists soon joined in.
The media’s double standard is disgusting. To them Obama’s faith is to be accepted without question, while Governor Walker’s faith is fair game.
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