Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR)
It seems like Sen. Tom Cotton's open letter to Iran is not getting the reception he expected, and now the Arkansas Republican is on the defensive. President Obama and Vice President Biden both condemned the letter—predictably enough—with Obama
suggesting that the letter showed the 47 Senate Republicans who signed on "wanting to make common cause with the hardliners in Iran" and Biden
calling it "beneath the dignity of an institution I revere."
Cotton had to expect that. But he may not have expected the public pushback he's getting from the seven Senate Republicans who did not sign onto his letter:
“It’s more appropriate for members of the Senate to give advice to the president, to Secretary Kerry and to the negotiators,” [Sen. Susan] Collins said. “I don’t think that the ayatollah is going to be particularly convinced by a letter from members of the Senate, even one signed by a number of my distinguished and high ranking colleagues.”
Cotton is flailing a little in response to the widespread condemnation of his move. Naturally, he's lashing out at Obama and Biden, saying in response to Obama's charge that Cotton and his allies are "wanting to make common cause with the hardliners" that "there are nothing but hardliners in Iran." But on the question of how he wants to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons,
he's struggling:
When asked what an acceptable deal would look like to him, Cotton answered “complete nuclear disarmament by Iran.”
“They can simply disarm their nuclear weapons program and allow complete intrusive inspections,” Cotton said.
MSNBC’s hosts pressed Cotton on the idea of complete disarmament, arguing that Iran would never agree to those terms.
“I think we have to have a credible threat of military force on the table but the real alternative … to a bad deal is a better deal,” Cotton said. “With more sanctions, with confronting Iran, with only giving them the choice that would completely disarm their nuclear weapons.”
So he's demanding that Iran disarm the nuclear weapons it doesn't have and accept "complete intrusive inspections" it will not accept. In short, Cotton wants to provoke Iran and set the stage for war, ensuring that Iran will accelerate efforts to make nuclear weapons.
Cotton claims that he and the other signers of the open letter to Iran are "simply speaking for the American people." Too bad for him that the American people don't seem to be standing up and cheering his move.