Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2) wrote an op-ed for the Washington Examiner in which he argues that America needs a course correction in the Middle East. Rep. Bacon retired as a brigadier general in the US Air Force after nearly 30 years of service. He is currently a member of the House Armed Services Committee. Rep. Bacon writes:

Biden’s strategy involves alienating allies, announcing to our adversaries what America will not do, bowing to threats, and hesitating to use force even when it is necessary. History teaches us that projecting American weakness is always a recipe for disaster… It’s time for the administration to stop dreaming and start leading. America must show the world once again it is serious about its values and security interests.

… [I] joined other Republicans in introducing legislation to strengthen Congress’s oversight of negotiations, clarify its authority to snap back sanctions on Iran, block unwarranted sanctions relief, and prevent the administration from ceding to Iran’s demand that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps no longer be considered a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the State Department. Congress must do more to shape US policy toward Iran. We cannot afford to wait until the next presidential election. The consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran are far too great.

… The US must also stand with Israel, our strongest democratic ally in the region. We must acknowledge that failed US policy toward Iran has badly compromised Israel’s security. A cyberwar between the two nations has already begun, and tensions between Israel and Iranian proxies such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad now routinely erupt into episodic violence. The administration must expedite military sales to Israel, including KC-46 tankers, which will allow it to employ its air force effectively in a crisis.

Rep. Bacon is running for reelection in 2022. You can support Don Bacon for Congress by clicking here.

Further reading:

• Tony Badran: America’s Regional Integration Scheme Benefits Iran
  This is an in-depth look at how Obama-Biden policy ignores reality, props up the worst actors in the region, and pressures our allies to subsidize their enemies.

Republicans in the House are putting pressure on President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill to be transparent about what is in the proposed Iran nuclear deal and how it would be implemented. The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act requires a congressional vote within 30 days of the announcement of a deal. Iran continues to make demands, delaying the negotiations. Lahav Harkov at the Jerusalem Post points out that if delays continue, Democrats would be forced to go on the record in support of the dangerous deal shortly before the midterm elections, something Biden and his allies do not want.

In the House, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC-5) has successfully forced action on a measure requiring more transparency from the administration about the deal's details. Foreign Affairs committee Democrats will need to vote to kill the Foxx measure to prevent the full House from having to vote on it. The Jewish Insider explains:

The resolution, introduced by Foxx and Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) would compel the administration to provide Congress with the text of the draft deal and any related side agreements immediately, even if negotiations are still in progress when the bill is passed. It’s unclear if the resolution will have enough support to pass the committee.

Under existing law — the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) — the administration is required to submit any Iran nuclear agreement in full to Congress when it is signed. A source familiar with the Foxx legislation characterized it as an “opening salvo” in efforts to “forc[e]” the administration to comply with INARA. They raised concerns that the administration will seek to duck INARA review or conceal side agreements related to the deal, as Republicans accuse the Obama administration of doing in 2016.

A committee vote on Foxx's resolution would be distinctly uncomfortable for many Democrats. There would be intense pressure from party leaders on all the Democrats on the committee to vote against the Foxx resolution. Some of the Democratic members are in vulnerable seats this year and would rather not get out in front on this issue. And several committee Democrats joined a bipartisan letter last week asking President Biden to provide Congress with the full text of any proposal to rejoin the Iran nuclear agreement, exactly what the Foxx resolution would require. If the committee votes down the resolution along party lines, or if the committee passes the resolution and it is quashed by the House Democratic leadership without being brought to a vote, it would demonstrate that Democrats would prefer to hide the details of a potential Iran deal from the voters.

Further reading:

• Hudson Institute: Seven Myths about the Iran Nuclear Deal

• Yoni Michanie: Experts say proposed new Iran deal much worse than 2015 agreement

• Jonathan Tobin: Will a new Iran deal redefine the US-Israel relationship?

A century of US-Israel ties

Walter Russell Mead offers a look at the US-Israel relationship from the perspective of a non-Jewish historian. He says, "It is the story of non-Jewish support for Israel that needs to be told. It is not only that American Christians going back to Boston Puritans like Increase Mather and colonial theologians like Jonathan Edwards believed that God would someday lead the Jews back to their biblical homeland. Politicians like John Adams and Theodore Roosevelt, and hardheaded businessmen like John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan, supported Zionist aspirations as well." Mead's new book, The Arc of a Covenant: The United States, Israel, and the Fate of the Jewish People, examines that history in detail. Read a review of the book here.

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