Lee is responding to a recent article in the New York Times (the title is the link)
Angry White House and G.O.P. Senators Clash Over Letter to Iran
In 1952, I accidentally turned the channel on our black and white TV in Pharr, Tx. which only carried two channels. One channel was for CBS and the other was for NBC which the local station shared time with ABC.
I ran into the Republican National Convention; the proceedings enthralled me. General Eisenhower was nominated for President and shortly thereafter, Sen. Nixon was nominated for Vice President with Gen. Eisenhower's approval.
Dad walked in, looked at me and asked how come you're not outside playing and fighting with the other kids as you always do? I told him, I'm watching the next President of the United States. He told me I was crazy. A few weeks later I made it a point to watched the Democratic convention and saw Gov. Adlai Stevenson awarded the nomination with Sen. Sparkman as his running mate. Thus, I've been a student of politics since that time. Yes, I've watched every single convention to include Sen. Goldwater to Michael DeCaca (for those of you w/o Hispanic humor it was Gov. Dukakis).
Although I remember Pres. Truman during his latter years in office, I was too young to follow his Presidential activities and TV coverage was very limited. I did follow Mr. Eisenhower and all subsequent presidents. That makes it a little more than 60 years that I've been following and studying Presidential politics; needless to say, Congressional politics are its mate.
In all those years I've never witnessed such disdain, open expression of disapproval, and disrespect for our President by either a Democratic or Republican Congress.
It all started on the day after Sen. Obama was elected in 2008, The Republican Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell said that his number one priority in the Senate was to make President-elect Obama a "one term president". On the same day, windbag Rush Limbaugh said on National Radio "I hope he fails, that's right, I hope Obama fails". I could not believe my ears when I heard these so-called respectable American men make those remarks.
(FYI: the number one priority for any member of the House or the Senate is to Legislate, that is their constitutional duty).
The President took office during the worst economic crisis since 1929. Without any Republican help whatsoever, not once; yet, he was able to turn the economy around almost single handedly and now we have the best economy since the Clinton years. Mitch McConnell failed in his attempt to stop Mr Obama from getting re-elected and Speaker Boehner has failed time after time to block Mr. Obama's programs. (FYI: based on Congressional records, Mr. Boehner is now officially the least productive (worst) Speaker in American History)
Since the Congress could not stop the President from being a success economically, they are now desperate to destroy his foreign policy. (In addition to associating Sec. Clinton-2016, with these policies) The Constitution gives the President the authority to set foreign policy. The Congress funds it and the Senate ratifies (approves) treaties. The President has authority to forge Executive Agreements, the Congress does not get involved with Executive Agreements and they do not have the authority to approve them and the President does not have to consult with Congress.
In its attempt to destroy President Obama's foreign policy whether it be in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, or Iran, this Republican Congress will go to any extreme to make sure this President fails or embarrass him with the international community. Please read the attached article. Never in the history of the United States has the Speaker of the House invited a foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress without Presidential approval. Speaker Boehner did it anyway. Even Israeli voters chastised Netanyahu for accepting the invitation without notifying the President. He was greeted upon his return to Israel with 80,000 protestors. Bibi is up for re-election on St. Patty's Day in Israel.
The purpose of Bibi's speech was to convince Congress and the American people not to support what the President is working on with Iran and the big Five plus one (Iran's Nuclear program). He also wanted to improve his re-election chances in Israel. The only problem is Congress and the American people do not vote in Israel. I've followed Bibi since the 90s and not one of his catastrophic predictions has come true, not one.
Netanyahu came to the US to impress Israeli voters that he has status in world affairs, it back fired. Mr. Boehner invited Bibi to get even with Mr. Obama with his Middle East Iranian policy. They both lost, Bibi received atrocious reviews in Israel and Boehner was criticized by Democrats and Republican alike and the President continued with his policies, through Sec. Kerry.
Bibi used Boehner and Boehner used Bibi, President Obama won.
Not giving up their fight to embarrass Mr. Obama some Republican Senators decided to write a letter to the Leadership of Iran telling them that they did not support any agreement which they may reach with Mr. Obama. And that a new President may decide to cancel such agreement and therefore it would be invalid. The Iranian Leadership rejected the Republican Senators' letter as a partisan political ploy, they laughed at it. So much for Republican Congressional Power in interfering in foreign affairs in which they have no authority.
Never, Never in the history of the United States have I seen, studied, or read about such obstructionism by the opposing Party in Congress. Never have I seen such disdain and hatred openly expressed by the opposition in Congress. They have shown complete disrespect for the office and the person holding that esteemed office.
On the other hand, I have never seen a Black President dealing with a White Republican Congress until Mr. Obama.
Is that a strange coincidence?
LeeT
San Antonio, Texas
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