The letter is signed by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Chairman of Armed Services, and the Chairman of the House Intel Committee. It’s a serious group of people, and they warn Obama:
The Congressmen lay out a series of steps — sanctions — that should be implemented if the talks fail to “yield the desired results.” They go on, “In short, Mr. President, if we truly mean that Iran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, urgent action is required today.” This strikes me as one half CYA and one half genuine. Clearly there is a real concern that Obama does not mean that an Iranian nuke is unacceptable — that he may be willing to live with such an outcome despite his statements to the contrary on the campaign trail. Democrats will pay a political price if Iran goes nuclear on their watch and these folks want it on record that they urged vigorous action while the president dithered. On the other hand, this letter strengthens Obama’s hand in any negotiation with the Iranians and provides him with a credible threat of sanctions at the first sign that engagement is going nowhere. The full letter can be read here.
