Deal Or No Deal

++James Zogby has a Huffington Post op-ed with this title. I urge people to read it because he echoes what I found out when moderating a global telecast on the Iranian deal from the tweets and e-mailed questions from the Middle East.

++Zogby never found the nuclear program a big concern of the predominantly Sunni states. Rather they feared that the relief from sanctions will provide $150 million into Tehran's coffer to destabilize the region further. In my experience, the questions were about interference in Yemen,Palestine, and Syria. 

++Zogby outlines what he thinks should be the next steps after the Iranian nuclear deal. He thinks the United States and its European allies should broker a security arrangement between Iran and the Sunni states with mechanisms to manage conflict. He also supports a nuclear-free Middle east, which runs into stiff Irsaeli opposition. He also urges President Obama to encourage a security council resolution on resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

++I believe President Obama will have more on his plate trying to pacify an obstructionist Congress, which already opposes the deal. The Kirk-Menendez law would toughen sanctions even as we are supposed to be weaning Iran off them. 

++An Iranian nuclear deal will prove to be dynamite in this town--an is already opposed by every Republican candidate. It is hard to see heading into a Presidential election year how any of Zogby's proposals can see the light of day.

++But it is an interesting read. I fear that the opponents of the deal will far outnumber the advocates in the public arena. Public polling has been favorable but a steady barrage of criticism will neutralize such support. The administration must be mnore aggressive in selling this agreement to the American people and not resort to the strong-arm tactics of the trade deal.