There is a reason why Obama keeps demanding that opponents of this sellout (for that is what it is) state their alternative to endorsing the treaty. The reason is that the downside of rejecting the agreement is in many respects worse than the downside of accepting the agreement. The downside of rejecting the agreement is that America will be left with only one ally in the world on this issue, Israel, the sanctions will be gone, and therefore there will be no option other than to bomb Iran.
I have never shrunk from advocating the bombing of Iran to stop them getting the bomb. But virtually every politician who opposes the agreement pretends that there is some other way-there is not. But we ought not to deceive ourselves on one side or on the other. We should not deceive ourselves that there are other options and we should not deceive ourselves that bombing will be easy, sure, or free of very dangerous unintended consequences.
The choice is stark, it comes down to whether one believes that Iran in possession of the bomb will use it. If the answer to that question is no then it does not much matter whether we passively accept the deal that Obama and the Republican establishment have maneuvered us into. Perhaps it would be better to accept the deal and keep the pretense of negotiating in good faith and keep the pretense of a real alliance with our allies.
If the answer is yes, Iran will use the bomb, then there is no choice but to bomb the hell out of Iran until the threat is destroyed. If we are convinced that Iran will use the bomb we are assuming the ultimate irresponsibility on the part of Iran. If they are irresponsible enough to use the bomb, we must concede that they are certainly irresponsible enough to build the bomb and they will certainly do so. In the process they will not be amenable to sanctions (which will not exist anyway) to blandishments, or to threats. If they are ideologically committed to bomb, they are certainly ideologically committed to build the bomb.
Obama is a demagogue and a charlatan who has negotiated America into a corner with the connivance of the pusillanimous Republican establishment including especially Sen. Corker and Majority Leader McConnell. But that understanding does not tell us what to do now. We have to make the hard decision, will Iran use the bomb? Are we willing to make war to stop them? As repugnant a lying demagogue as Obama is, he is right and asking us whether we are willing to make war? The fact that he put us in this place does not help us solve our problem.
I have believed for years that Iran will use the bomb and must be stopped at virtually any cost. But I do not think I deceive myself into believing there is some middle ground after the rejection of this agreement. If we reject the agreement we must understand the bitter and dangerous reality that implies.
