In Presidential Politics Iran Must Be Center Stage – Op-Eds – Israel National News.
The only method that may actually have some impact on Iran right now is a unified bad cop, bad cop message.
Dovid Efune, Dir. Algemeiner Journal
Convention says that the upcoming Presidential election is all about jobs and the economy. If employment is up and the markets are steady, the pundits say President Obama will be a formidable candidate. If not, he is highly vulnerable.
But as the threat of Iranian nuclear belligerence becomes more pronounced, President Obama has been forced to address growing international fear over Iran, exposing perhaps his even greater vulnerability. Republicans would do very well to push the issue.
For one, the subject of Iran is simple and fairly straightforward, as opposed to economic matters which are often complex and are reflective of multiple fluctuating components. The case for or against various economic initiatives allow much room for dispute and is at times highly subjective. Quantifying progress on Iran however, is fairly elementary. It is uncomplicated for candidates to explain and easier for the public to grasp.
Iran is also among the broadest issues, as it affects everyone. Of course, so does the economy, but in truth most people would gladly give up the opportunity to amass more wealth in favor of living safer, longer and without fear.
Republicans should move to consistently bring the issue of Iran to center stage, as President Obama has absolutely nothing substantial to show for himself. In fact there is a case to be made that he has effectively served – to the extent that he was practically able – as Iran’s blocking back in its mad dash toward nuclear armament. Most Republicans have already come out forcefully on the issue.
In dealing with the Iranian crisis, there are three primary options on the table, and as far as the public is concerned President Obama has fought against all three.
On the first path, sanctions, he has talked a big game, but bottom line implementations have been weaker than necessary and significantly protracted. So much so that usual staunch Obama ally New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez publicly expressed anger and frustration with the Administration last month over a crucial bill aimed at sanctioning the Central Bank of Iran. As Foreign Policy reported:
“Two senior administration officials testified……that the current bipartisan amendment to impose new sanctions on the CBI (Central Bank of Iran) and any other bank that does business with them is a bad idea that could alienate foreign countries.”
On Sunday, Israel’s largest daily newspaper Israel Hayom reported:
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not pleased with the way the U.S. administration is managing its sanctions campaign against Iran, according to a senior Israeli diplomat. Netanyahu is said to be urging the U.S. to target Iran’s Central Bank and crude oil industry.”
This option, after much Israeli persuasion, has just been moved on by the EU and the Treasury Department. It remains to be seen whether the EU will stand fast in the wake of economic pressures.
With the second path, covert action, it is harder to quantify Obama’s position as it is,of course,covert. But reports and public statements made by the administration over the recent assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist, it is apparent that the President has been far from supportive. “We condemn any assassination or attack on an innocent person, and we express our sympathies to the family,” said Victoria Nuland of the US State Department. Israel’s Channel 2 TV station quoted a source within “Netanyahu’s bureau”,
claiming that Obama asked for an explanation regarding Israel’s involvement.
With regard to the third option, actually launching a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend:
“President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered a string of private messages to Israeli leaders warning about the dire consequences of a strike.”
So one is compelled to wonder, what exactly is Israel’s recourse here? Should the country close its eyes and hold on to the hand of the American President in absolute faith and trust? It is the obliteration of Israel that Ahmedinejad has promised to deliver. Positioned within striking distance of Iranian long range missiles and within touching distance of Iranian proxies, Hamas and Heibulah, Israel can by no means take that risk.
Considering the overwhelming degree of solidarity that voting Americans feel with their Israeli counterparts, this is a point that candidates would do well to highlight time and again.
Obama defenders point to economic risk over oil prices as a reason to move slowly with Iran, but one thing we can be certain of, is that a nuclear Iran will create far greater economic instability. Additionally, forcing Iran into a limited oil market, would allow their primary customers such as China to offer far less for Iran’s oil, possibly even forcing the oil prices down around the world, rather than the expected rise.
Other supporters have expressed the possibility that Israel and the United States are actually working together in dealing with Iran, staging a good cop, bad cop ‘hold me back’ dynamic.
It is clear however that the only method that may actually have some impact on Iran right now is a unified bad cop, bad cop message.
Mitt Romney got the tone right in a November debate where he said “If we re-elect
Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if we elect Mitt Romney, they will not have a nuclear weapon.”
As the economy for now has shown signs (even if temporary) of improvement, for Republicans, continuing to push the Iran issue to the center stage may just be their safest bet.
The Author is the director of the Algemeiner Journal and the GJCF and can be e-mailed at defune@gjcf.com
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WarSclerotic 
January 24, 2012 at 5:53 PM
With The Upcoming Electorial Processes becoming a very crucial Information System and Resource for the Modem Operenda for Conrtinuing on the Terrorist War Processes, we can probably bet that President Obama may and will have some Hiden Agenda that will be a Crucial Peice of Mission Critical Information in His Presidential Re-Election Process that may well be to His advantage that I should swing into One of my Favorite Political Alliances and That would be a Very Political Southern Gospel Alliance with Our President Obama, that will benefit His Presidency and Aid in His re-election to 4 More Years of Good WarFighting Democracy in His Very Smooth African Amwerican Christian Presidency, that will make Him a Shing Star to Many Peoples around the World By litterally coming Clean within This Intelligence Workstation, reporting system and Give President Obama His Due Re-Election Promise to Support His re-election Campaign. So by putting this out there at this Time I do and May well Have some African Roots in My Native American background and Would very much like to se Our Preisedent Obama re-elected. Never minding the Compromise in my legal or Military or Intelligence Status, because I am one of these Political Inteligence nuts that actually has the skills from the Bush Presidency and The Clinton Presidencies that actually got them re-elected too. So with that statement President Obama may notactually be such an Compromise i Our Terrorist enterprise that he would ever be a Problem by getting re-elected either. Because I did secure 3 letters to The WhiteHouse when He first came to the WhiteHaouse and Promised that if He would let me use an Underhanded Intelligence Communication Plan that I or others in Our Intellligence Wrld may have been accustomed to or was working in a negative way that instead of compromising Our President Obama’s Presidency may have well added Political Life to His Success in The WhiteHouse while Fighting this Terrorist War very effectively while seeming to have some intelligence signals in the wild that were true intelligence signals that may have helped compromise some Home Game Operations that were compromised by creating an opportunity for the enemy to think a certain way that could have loked like an opportunity for them to set up and Compromise something that they would have wanted to have or be a part of. That we can nor may now at this time have as an asset or a situation that we can compromise or Trail into something that the enemy may think is safe for them to do without compromising what they are doing while we advance Our Opportunities to gleen more that a Healthy Bite of some very good Advanced notice on whats up with Our Budy system with Our enemy that the enemy thinks they are trusted with a whole lot more that they dreamed possible too. these Kinds of Opportunities just keep happening when things are so unpredictable for some of Our enemies intl ops to do a whole lot about until that very well planned out opportunity may give the enemy exactly what we and They both would Like to have that wouldd be an Strategic Listening or monitoring or handling system that the enemy may trust Us with for an even longer time thatn we could have possibly dreamed of. This may sound familiar with some things that the enemy has been doing to Us before but Our coding of such an Intelligence probe into Our enemies palnning or Base of Operations may well be something that could gllen from ven electronically afet or during or befor e we are actually present too. So this kind of Politiacl Inteligence Operations that seem to going astary in the wild does generate so very good enemy compromises that are very good for Our President here at Home too. This does get Presidents re-elected alot when everyone thinks that The President is Cool and a Good Man actually prooving That He was the Whole Time. Just a reminder that some of Us are willing to go to any leangth and do whatever it takes to win a war and get a Good President Re-Elected too. ADmiral O’Dell Birdwell