Vice President Biden Responds to The Letter

++Vice President Biden issued a lengthy response to The Senate Republican's letter to whom it may concern in Iran. Biden first weighs in with his experience in the Senate for several decades and chides the authors of engaging in an act unworthy of the Senate as an institution. 

He chides the authors for their constitutional lesson when they themselves did not think of all the agreements a President reaches that have to be carried out so that America is seen as committing its commitments. He lists this beginning with the agreement over the Syrian chemical weapons and how our ability to say we kept our word protects our servicemen and women abroad as well as our ability to be trusted as a leader in global diplomacy and as a partner with other countries. 

The chutzpah of the Senators to suggest after reaching agreements with the P5+1 that the United States that we can just change our minds if someone else comes into office undermines not only the current Commander in Chief but the whole framework of American diplomacy. Biden also aims at the Senators' lack of alternatives,just as Bibi didn't have an alternative. Biden suggests that the Republican Senators are trying to create conditions where only we are left with a military response. 

Then Biden riffs on President Obama's commitment to ensure that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon--something that has been known in Washington since his early days as Senator and was a pre-occupation since Obama's graduate school days. Biden also lauds the efforts by the P5+1 to reach a negotiated solution, which the Senators seem to discount.

For his part Senator Cotton told Fox News he didn't give a "shit" about the protocol behind the talks. Others like retired Senator Dick Lugar did care and thought the letter was unprecedented and signed with a variety of motives, as much for domestic policy as foreign affairs.

Corker and Menendez didn't sign the letter because they are aiming to get a veto proof bill for additional sanctions.

Sadly, this whole flap makes Iran look good. The condescending attitude in the letter is countered by the political and diplomatic leadership of Iran made up of American university graduates. As Zafir said today,"America is not the world", something the GOP hasn't learned after all these years.