Senator Tom Cotton (R) - Patriot or Traitor?

Senator Cotton w/ Israel's Netanyahu on Monday
(Photo courtesy of Tom Cotton's press office)

Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) is visiting Israel this week.  Yesterday, he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after which he issued this statement:

"Today's meeting only reaffirms my opposition to (the Iran Deal).  I will stand with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel and work with my colleagues in Congress to stop this deal and to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself against Iran its terrorist surrogates."

what eye thynk:   When a U.S. Senator announces he publicly supports and intends to fight for the wishes of a foreign nation against those of his own country and five of his country's allies, can he still call himself a U.S. patriot?  Or should we call him a traitor?

Tom Cotton is anything but a mature politician--I'm not even sure he is a mature human being.  This is his first term in the Senate and he is acting like a 12 year-old who, wanting to be a member of his school's "cool" clique, tries to impress them by mimicking their every twitch--only he goes louder, higher, further to get their attention.  "They don't like the President's foreign policy?  I know!  I'll write a letter to a foreign government for them and we can all sign it!  Still not cool enough?  Wait!  I've got it!  I'll go wrap myself in the flag of Israel and promise to fight for Bibi against that evil White House imposter!  I'll have a clique t-shirt and know their secret handshake by sundown!"  

Simply put, Mr. Cotton is not interested in statecraft. He is only interested in making a name for himself in the Republican (We-Hate-Everything-Obama) Party.  His knee-jerk reaction to an agreement that six world leaders see as the best way forward in the Middle East is not based on any real in-depth study of the issue.  I see no evidence that Mr. Cotton has any intention of visiting any of our allies who support the deal to hear their thoughts. Opinions not stamped "GOP Approved" are not important.  He and the rest of his Party only care that it is a deal brokered in part by President Obama and therefore it is to be demonized.  

And, really, making sure Israel has the "means to defend itself" is such empty rhetoric.  Netanyahu already has a nuclear arsenal at his disposal; and, in its short history, Israel has demonstrated that it is not afraid to "defend itself." What Israel seems to want in the region isn't parity, but to insure that no one else is equally armed.  I realize that Israel is short of regional allies; but, what can they expect when they won't even consider Palestine as an equal and separate state?  Refusing to negotiate with those around you is never the answer to peace.

The Republican Party will defend Mr. Cotton's visit with Bibi by pointing out that then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad during the Bush-Cheney years.  What they don't want to acknowledge is that representatives from W's State Department coordinated and attended the meeting with her.

Of course, at the time, Dick Cheney was only too happy to complain that "The President is the one who conducts foreign policy, not the Speaker of the House."  

Knowing how Dickie loves the spotlight, perhaps he could be persuaded to bring his sneer to Washington and remind Senator Cotton and the rest of the GOP of this fact?