Do tell (tip to Instapundit):
In its determination to secure a nuclear deal with Iran, the Obama administration derailed an ambitious law enforcement campaign [Project Cassandra] targeting drug trafficking by the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, even as it was funneling cocaine into the United States, according to a POLITICO investigation. ...
“This was a policy decision, it was a systematic decision,” said David Asher, who helped establish and oversee Project Cassandra as a Defense Department illicit finance analyst. “They serially ripped apart this entire effort that was very well supported and resourced, and it was done from the top down.” ...
After Obama won reelection in November 2012, the administration’s pushback on Hezbollah drug cases became more overt, and now seemed to be emanating directly from the White House, according to task force members, some former U.S. officials and other observers. ...
Project Cassandra was increasingly viewed as a threat to the administration’s efforts to secure a nuclear deal, and the top-secret prisoner swap that was about to be negotiated. ...
“During the negotiations, early on, they [the Iranians] said listen, we need you to lay off Hezbollah, to tamp down the pressure on them, and the Obama administration acquiesced to that request,” the former CIA officer told POLITICO. “It was a strategic decision to show good faith toward the Iranians in terms of reaching an agreement.”
The Obama team “really, really, really wanted the deal,” the former officer said.
Flexibility wasn't just for Putin, I guess. We won't see a special prosecutor looking into Obama-Iran collusion, of course. Because shut up.
I've been mulling this general problem lately, actually.
I've written that if Iran gets nuclear weapons that Iran will have a shield behind which they can subvert the region and gain influence and control. Even if the Iranians never use nukes to strike Israel, America, or the Saudi oil fields/ports, Iran could do a lot of harm owning nukes.
But I've noticed that rather than setting Iran on the road to being a responsible and successful regional power as President Obama hoped, the deal itself rather than nukes is proving to be an effective shield for Iran to subvert the region and gain influence and control.
With all of the deal's benefits to Iran given up front, it is the West that is afraid of confronting Iran lest Iran in anger discard the horrible deal to openly pursue nuclear weapons technology, confident that they have all the benefits up front.
Many in the West would rather pretend the awful deal--that will not stop Iran from going nuclear--still provides a measure of protection by existing. And no Iranian aggression is too much to endure if it keeps Iran in the deal.
As I predicted some time ago, the outline of the deal was always clear: Iran would pretend not to have a nuclear weapons program; and we would pretend to believe them.
And God help us, but the pretending by the awful deal's authors continued after the deal was picked up and taken home by all the parties.
I repeat, not only was this not-a-treaty not approved by the United States Senate, it isn't even a signed deal. It really does seem like a common document that all the people in the room picked up and took home to file away.
And refusing to take the opportunity to cripple the finances of Iran's proxy force Hezbollah is an example of the power of deterrence that the horrible Iran deal has on liberal Westerners.
And so Hezbollah has been free to grow and gain more of an ability to strike American targets if America decides it is no longer a good idea to let this terror group and Iranian proxy gather resources, power, and global reach.
We'll be recovering from all the Obama "smart diplomacy"--if we can--for years and decades to come, it seems.
And yes, kill that deal that shields Iran's nuclear ambitions and aggression.
Do read the Politico article, It is long and filled with details that are shocking even for someone like me who came to expect so little from that administration that made it clear that nothing was to get in the way of a signing ceremony with Iran.
And note that Hezbollah moved into Latin America as part of all of this. Have a super sparkly day.
UPDATE: In a totally shocking development, the media is largely ignoring this story. Which is hardly shocking. The media is just as determined to protect Holy Legacy by speaking no evil as President Obama was determined to achieve Smart Diplomacy Reset with Iran and a nuclear deal to justify his Nobel Peace Prize.
Everybody except Iran's nutball rulers will be harmed for maintaining these fictions.
