Opinion Pieces

Many may remember the iconic photo of President Truman holding the paper with the mistaken headline stating, “Dewey Defeats Truman.” At least that was a historic mistake people could laugh about.

On July 14, the Obama administration and other members of the P5+1 made headlines when they reached a “historic” agreement with Iran, purportedly to curb Iran’s nuclear program and protect American interests.

This deal is certainly historic — a historic mistake and not one to be taken lightly. The administration fell short of many of the goals it initially promised — “anytime, anywhere” inspections, zero breakout capacity, no right to enrich — and has instead rushed into a misguided agreement to secure a legacy of diplomacy.

I believe it’s time to ask the President, who is this actually a deal for? It’s clear that this is not a deal made for the American people nor one that protects American interests. This is a deal made for Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism, by an out-of-touch administration that seems to place a greater interest in “leaving a legacy” than protecting our own national security.

Furthermore, this is not a deal for one of our greatest allies, the State of Israel. A nuclear Iran would imperil Israel with which we have formed an unshakable alliance, a fact emphasized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he addressed a joint session of Congress. He very acutely stated, “no deal is better than a bad deal,” and this is, without question, a very bad deal for America and our allies.

This is a deal that Iran is running away with, and ultimately a deal that Congress should be running away from. It is a deal for a country that has worked to boost radical Islamic terrorists in the Middle East and bolster Iran’s ability to spread fear and violence by freeing up almost $150 billion in sanctions relief. Just imagine the chaos that Hamas and Hezbollah could create with that kind of additional cash flow from their state sponsor- Iran.

The question that must be at the forefront of our minds: Does this deal make America or the world safer? The answer is a resounding “no.” Even members of the president’s own party are shaking their heads and voicing opposition at this disastrous arrangement.

To our dismay, the president’s “deal” allows Iran to retain the right to enrich uranium — a key component to maintaining, building and stockpiling nuclear weaponry. To take discomfort one step further, the president’s “deal” also lifts the weapons embargo, thus allowing Iran to import and export conventional arms and ballistic missiles. At best, the agreement only temporarily delays Iran’s nuclear capabilities; at worst, it enables terror, funds the Iranian nuclear arsenal and gambles with our national security.

When Iranians chant, “Death to America,” our Commander-in-Chief should have walked away. That was his moment to respond with strength — he should have demonstrated courage, asserted authority as leader of the free world and chosen to walk away from the makings of a sub-par agreement.

Our President has given us a false dichotomy with the notion that it is this so-called deal or war. But it’s time to face the reality that with this flawed agreement and an Iran flush with cash and arms, it could be this deal and war.

The President has bought a deal with Iran, but the American people will be the ones paying the price. This is not a deal for America or our allies like Israel. This is no deal at all — and it is crucial that Congress stand together to prevent this historic mistake.

* U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers represents North Carolina’s Second Congressional District, which encompasses nine counties including Randolph. She serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

This op-ed was published in the Asheboro Courier-Tribune on August 25, 2015.