Discussion: Kerry Confirms Iran Nuclear Deal Compliance, Lifts U.S. Sanctions

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I guess Bibi ran down to the office supply store for some erasures for his bomb drawing.

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Here’s the thing. Some of us (I include myself) developed some really bad feelings towards HRC during the 2008 campaign that are still latent in our thinking about her – even when we realize we will more than likely be supporting her as our nominee. Its hard to take criticism of Obama she may dole out because of cynical political calculation. So she really does need to tread carefully lest she alienate people she will need to count on. That said, I am not at all certain she trashed Obama on the Iranian prisoner swap. From the piece I linked to, it does not appear that way, but perhaps it was edited. I assume your post Chammy was based on some article or news report you heard, so please link. I am sure you would agree, that it will serve no good purpose to have people riled at her about something that is not even true.

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Relieved that American prisoners are coming home from Iran. We must keep
working for the return of Robert Levinson. -H— Hillary Clinton
(@HillaryClinton) January 16, 2016
That’s blasting?

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The evening is still young.

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How’s the weather in St Petersburg (Russia)? Are you off your meds again?

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Here is something that I haven’t heard mentioned – our politicians are railing against Iran holding our servicemen for a day – and yet the swap reveals that the US has been holding Iranian citizens hostage. I didn’t even know this – and I would bet the majority of the American people did not know this. Were these Iranian citizens ever publicly charged and trial set? Where were they being held and under what conditions? Its seems the height of hypocrisy to complain about the Iranian governments actions regarding our citizens, when we are also guilty of holding their people as pawns in negotiations.

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Why would she “blast” it when no longer than two nights ago on Rachel Maddow she pointed out that SHE had taken the first initiatives on this deal with Iran? Where do you get your headlines?

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I’m not crazy about Hillary calling for new sanctions against Iran the same day the U.S and UE sanctions are being lifted as part of the historic nuclear deal. I get that she wants to sound “tough on Iran,” but c’mon – the nuclear deal was an extremely hard-won accomplishment, and of course the prisoner swap is extremely important as well. Is the very day the sanctions are being lifted and prisoners released really the right time to be making new sanctions threats against Iran? Seems to me like it would reinforce hard-liner propaganda within Iran that the U.S. is determined to be Iran’s enemy no matter what, and is not to be trusted. So if your goal was increased distrust and conflict, then announcing new sanctions threats the same day as a historic agreement to remove sanctions came to fruition, would be a logical move. Otherwise, not so much.

But at least from the coverage I’ve seen, I haven’t seen her criticize the prisoner swap. Quite the contrary.

Meanwhile the Republican take on the prisoner swap seems to be “Glad they’re coming home but it took too long and we didn’t get a good enough exchange rate.”

Trump of course is both taking credit for the release – saying he pressured Obama into it – and complaining about swapping 4 prisoners for 7, while also simultaneously pretending that we’re giving Iran $150 billion in ransom for the prisoners.

Cruz meanwhile seems to be trying to claim, if not credit, at least an assist, saying that he and his followers have been “lifting them up in prayer” and now they’re thanking God for the release. So I guess they’re giving God credit, which, you know, fair enough… and I guess we aren’t supposed to ask why the Almighty saw fit to dangle them out a window in the first place, before yanking them back in.

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From what I’ve read it sounds like the Iranians in question were charged with violating the Iran sanctions. As a result of the deal, federal charges against those still facing trial are being dropped, and those already convicted are being pardoned. So it sounds like they had, or were going to have, federal criminal trials. But I don’t know any details beyond that.

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Obama funds ISIS? In which world?

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A shaggy dog story, no doubt, but I liked it!

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I heard it on Al Jazeera

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The Republican debate was filled with bloodthirsty lies about US sailors – already released by Iran and returned to the US, along with their vessels – being forced onto their knees, and how no American should ever stand for such a situation! These GOP monsters actually wanted to go to war over an accidental incident that was peacefully resolved in a matter of hours. You can be sure the rhetoric over removing sanctions against Iran will be five times as jingoistic and ten times as duplicitous.

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Ask her. Not me. I am just the messenger. I heard it on Al Jazeera late this afternoon

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Sorry if I said anything about HRC you don’t like. I heard it on Al Jazeera and they said she was against the swap. Sorry if that hurt your feelings. Having said that, I am a liberal democrat and will vote for our party’s nominee - I understand what’s at stake. I have been learning towards her all along but I am concerned about her negatives and for us to think she can easily win are kidding ourselves. They said that in 2008 too.

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I heard it on Al Jazeera today. I do not throw shit out there unless I heard or read it. Just remember, I will vote for her if she is our nominee. I understand the stakes here and in addition, I believe she is extremely qualified but her negatives scare me.

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Well mea culpa for repeating what I heard on Al Jazeera today. But if you are going to quote her, quote all of what she said. As I said over and over, I have been leaning towards her since she announced even though I do have some hard feelings toward her, because I understand the stakes. Having said that, her negatives are beginning to scare me and what makes us think she can win. She didn’t win in 2008 so what makes us so sure she can in 2016. If a avowed socialist is neck and neck, we need to be concerned

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Her negatives?

Enlighten me with facts…

You of all people should understand negatives when it comes to Obama. :neutral_face:

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I think you’ve moved so far to the left, you’re coming up on the extreme right.

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Chammy, I just did a once-over on Al Jazeera’s website with no mention of HRC there whatsoever in the headlines. As well, a search of the site shows no results there for Hillary/Iran/2016.

I did find this comment though from Reuters:

WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Saturday praised the release of Americans held by Iran, but urged new sanctions on Tehran over its ballistic missile testing program.

“I am greatly relieved by the safe return of American prisoners from Iran,” the former U.S. secretary of state said in a statement following announcements of a historic and multi-faceted deal between Iran and the United States.

She said if she were elected president in November, her approach to Iran would be “to distrust and verify.”

Clinton added: “Iran is still violating UN Security Council resolutions with its ballistic missile program, which should be met with new sanctions designations and firm resolve.” (Reporting by Kevin Drawbaugh; Editing by Paul Simao)
http://news.trust.org/item/20160116225848-96h6l

jw1

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