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Friday, July 31, 2015

Unclear on the Concept

John Kerry does know that his job requires him to do things that advance American interests, doesn't he?

Because two pieces of recent news seem to indicate he does not understand that basic job description of our chief diplomat.

On the Iran deal:

The Iran nuclear deal is not intended to push Tehran's regime to reform but to prevent it building a bomb, Secretary of State John Kerry told skeptical US lawmakers Tuesday.

This deal will not prevent Iran from going nuclear. At best--if Iran does not cheat or use routes outside of the deal--this deal prevents Iran from going nuclear over the next decade. After that all bets are off.

The only way to justify this deal is that it buys time for a non-nuclear nutball Iran to become a non-nutball Iran, whose status as a nuclear power isn't as threatening.

I think that hope is far-fetched, but that's the only way to justify this deal. And Kerry said it isn't the reason for the deal.

And then there is this:

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday the upcoming release of Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer convicted of spying for Israel, was not tied to the nuclear agreement with Iran.

Again, then what's the point? I find it terrible that we'd trade a convicted spy to get Israel to stay quiet over the bad nuclear deal. But from a purely diplomatic strategy standpoint, it makes sense. Yet Kerry says that isn't why we are doing that.

Assuming that the Obama administration actually believes that both the Iran deal and the Pollard release improve American security, these two motivations would make sense from their point of view.

But they deny those motives.

The State Department really needs an America Desk.