Republicans Make Bold Yet Questionable Move

On a March 9 article for the Washington Post, Paul Waldman, “… a contributor to The Plum Line Blog, and a senior writer at the American Prospect,” gave his opinion to the readers of the Washington Post on the controversial open letter to Iranian leaders from 47 Republican Senators.

This letter, which can be read in full here, addresses Iranian leaders, and informs them that any nuclear negotiations that are made with President Obama and his administration may be revoked or changed as soon as he is no longer president. These Republican Senators are upset with President Obama’s actions, because he has excluded them from participation in and about the nuclear negotiations, which they believe is another unconstitutional Executive order.

The letter, which is signed by 2016 Presidential candidates Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul, does not violate any laws, although it is very unusual. It has already been compared to Richard Nixon’s private negotiations with South Vietnam is 1968, which are considered by many as treason. Interestingly, current Vice President Joe Biden wrote a similar letter to then-Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002. As the head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden wrote saying that Congress needed more involvement in the nuclear negotiations in the Moscow Treaty with Russia.

In the article titled “Republicans are beginning to act as though Barack Obama isn’t even the president,” Waldman makes his opinion very clear. His stance on the subject is that Republicans are being extremely disrespectful to the President, saying that Congress has no right to make their own foreign policy. He also says that though it is not illegal, it goes against Washington’s “norms,” which he believes should be respected, despite not being law.

Although the Senator’s open letter is surprising and bold, I do not think their main purpose is to bash President Obama and be disrespectful. I do understand how it could be interpreted in that way, but in my opinion, the Senator’s are making their point clear; they are being ignored by President Obama and want to be a part of the negotiations in the way our country’s Checks and Balances policies allow them to. They believe that President is disrespecting the Legislative Branch by misusing the powers of the presidency. This is yet another example of how the two parties cannot negotiate, and it is now getting in the way of important foreign policy.