Senators didn’t lie in their letter

By Don Becker, Las Vegas

Tuesday, March 24, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Although I admit to being a 74-year-old, retired military Republican, I’m also fairly independently minded. I even enjoy reading the Sun. Brian Greenspun’s column “Letter not only sabotages Obama, it harms US” (Las Vegas Sun, March 15), however, leaves me scratching my head.

First, Greenspun seems to be saying he is smarter than 47 “idiot” U.S. senators. With the general crop of politicians in Washington today, he may be right, but that’s subjective, so we’ll concentrate on the substance of his opinion.

Greenspun failed to report what was in that objectionable letter sent to Iran. Did those 47 Republicans lie? Did they provide any information not readily available to the erstwhile leadership of Iran? If I remember correctly, all they said was that any nuclear treaty formulated by executive fiat would only be valid until another president is elected. That seems to be accurate. I think the ayatollahs already know that. No harm done there.

Greenspun went out of his way to call this nuclear arms treaty an agreement, thereby circumventing the Constitution that requires a treaty to be ratified by Congress. That clause inserted by the Founding Fathers also undermines Greenspun’s argument that the “person elected by the American people is empowered to act” (in foreign affairs). He forgot “with the advice and consent” of Congress. Remember, the American people also elected the congressmen.

I feel reasonably sure that if the treaty with Iran is a good one, Congress would absolutely ratify it and it would be valid beyond this president’s term in office. The problem here is defining what a “good” treaty is. Does a good treaty encompass a decade slow-down to the nuclear program to be followed by a rush to the bomb?

I agree there might have been a better way for the 47 senators to express their concerns than writing directly to Iran, but they wanted maximum impact, and they got it.

Greenspun’s column, however, contributes greatly to the debate, and for that I am grateful. Thank you for providing a stimulating and thoughtful discussion.