Will GOP Make the U.S. a Second Class Power?

As the United States and its allies entered the final stages of negotiations on a nuclear arms agreement with Iran, the Senate 47 reacted by sending a letter to Iran:  "It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system...The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time."

Despite GOP interference, the U.S. and its allies have reached an agreement with Iran.  President Obama announced, "This is a deal between Iran, the United States of America and the major powers in the world--including some of our closest allies.  If Congress kills the deal--not based on expert analysis and without offering any reasonable alternative--then it is the United States that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy.  International unity will collapse, and the path to conflict will widen."

Republican presidential hopefuls were asked if would they cancel the Iranian agreement--even if our allies continued to support it--if they were to become president in 2016.

• Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) said he would "absolutely" defy our European allies in order to revoke the nuclear deal.  The new president "should not be bound" by the Obama agreement. "The United States...could unilaterally re-impose more crushing and additional sanctions...(I would) use the standing of the United States on the global stage to try to encourage other nations to do so."
• Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) responded, "Absolutely, on day one."
• Ted Cruz (R-Texas): "Any candidate in my view who will not say 'yes' to that is not fit to serve as commander in chief of this country."
• Jeb Bush (R): "Nothing in the deal described by the administration this afternoon would justify lifting U.S. and international sanctions...I cannot stand behind such a flawed agreement."

Jeb Bush recently commiserated with Donald Trump over "how poorly" the U.S. is "perceived throughout the world."  In a speech to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs last month, Mr. Bush said, "We have lost the trust and confidence of our friends."

what eye thynk:  Gee, Jeb, I wonder why that is?

Forty-seven Republican Senators try to undermine a deal we are negotiating along side our allies and, when that deal is reached, leading Republican presidential contenders promise to undo it as soon as they gain the White House.  It's as if they see our allies as serfs in a worldwide Republican fiefdom.

And let's not forget Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) telling our allies they should not trust the U.S. on any climate change agreement. 

So, Jeb, maybe a closer look in your own backyard would be in order here?  Unless of course, your whole plan is to have the world view the U.S. as an untrustworthy, second-class power.  In that case, just keep fiddling the same tune.  The rest of us will be busy readying our fire extinguishers.

Coda:  I have received a lot of responses from readers who object to my using "U.S." and "Second Class Power" in the same sentence.   Some of them had obviously not read my entire post and were responding only to the title, so there is no way of knowing if they would have gotten my point. 

Others wrote to defend their belief in American exceptionalism.  I would like to respond: 

There is nothing "exceptional" about proving yourself to be untrustworthy. Statements recorded by leading Republican presidential contenders say they would back out of an agreement we negotiated along side our major allies. When our friends can no longer take our word as a promise we will continue to honor, our word is no longer a trustworthy asset.  Once our allies decide we cannot be trusted, our chances of forming a coalition in the future fades.   When that point is reached, we become marginalized and second class.

The GOP's attempts to undermine President Obama on the world stage may play well to their base, but it makes us look weak to everyone else--ally and enemy alike--and no one can be weak and exceptional at the same time.