Even within the president’s own party, the deal to ease sanctions on Iran while letting it keep its nuclear infrastructure has produced a backlash in Congress.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer says he’s “disappointed” by the six-month deal. His colleague and fellow Democrat from New Jersey, Sen. Robert Menendez, notes “Iran’s history of duplicity.” And over in the House, Rep. Eliot Engel says, “I don’t think you make them bargain in good faith by going squishy.”
Some hope to impose even stiffer American sanctions in the event Iran chisels. We have a better idea. First, Congress could authorize Obama to use military force if the US concludes nothing else will stop Iran from getting a bomb. The president might not take up the offer, but it would at least make clear America’s opposition to an Iranian bomb — and bring a stick to the negotiating table to supplement Team Obama’s many carrots.
Second, Congress could also pass a resolution expressing support for an Israeli strike if Tehran crosses the nuclear point of no return. Not only would such a resolution buttress Obama’s vow to “have Israel’s back,” it would make clear the American people’s support for the Jewish state’s right to self-defense.
A military strike, of course, is always the last resort. But don’t forget: It was unilateral Israeli strikes that delivered two of the most effective blows to nuclear proliferation by rogue regimes. We’re thinking of 1981, when Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear plant, and 2007, when it took out a nuclear site in Syria.
President Obama has always said that “everything’s on the table.” With these two resolutions, Congress can give those words credibility they’ve been lacking.