There are a lot of votes associated the Evangelical Christian’s “Jews for Jesus” and their fellow travelers who exude unconstrained fawning over the State of Israel. There’s big money from these sources too as well as from mega donors such as Sheldon Addleson who must think his lavish financial support for Israel will ease his entry into the hereafter. And President Donald Trump has not overlooked these connections.
When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson poured cold water on the notion the US simply walking away from the Iran nuclear agreement, the President knew he would need a new Secretary of State. Once Tillerson was dismissed, the President nominated CIA Director Mike Pompeo. Secretary of State Pompeo has picked up the Trumpian position that the Iran Nuclear Agreement is (or should be) void. The rationality is because Iran’s behavior, well beyond the Agreement’s criteria, were unacceptable and represent grounds to scrap our promises (and in the process, teach the world that in the future America’s word doesn’t mean much).
Secretary of State Pompeo is visiting the Middle East beating the anti-Shiite drum with a clear anti-Iran rhetoric. The Middle East is a mess with chasms of rich versus poor, Shiite versus Sunni, and a unhealthy dose of radical ideologue groups such as al Qaeda, ISIS, Hezbollah, and Hamas. Picking sides is a prescription for making matters worse.
Pompeo’s enthusiastic adoptions of Trump’s campaign lines doesn’t bode well that he will gain any Middle East insight. It is very difficult to hear others when one is talking too loud.
And even worse, moving so quickly to walk away from the agreement will have other consequences as well. (Israel and the Trump brigade of “Chicken-Hawks” will find themselves isolated from the rest of the world opinion.) The most obvious undesirable consequence will be for Iran to restart their nuclear weapons programs which in turn may prompt other nations (Saudi Arabia and Japan, for example) further destabilizing their regions. A less obvious potential is the inability for the US to withdraw from Middle East military presence. This will cost money and carries the potential for shooting war events.
With these consequences, where is Congress and its war powers responsibility?