Former Massachusetts Gov. and 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney says President Obama should walk away from a “flimsy” nuclear deal with Iran and that it would take “uncommon courage” for Mr. Obama to do so.
Mr. Romney wrote in a piece for USA Today that while signing an agreement would be a “political home run” and boost the prospects for former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton — “achievement by association” — walking away would be “courageous” and “right.”
“Agreements with tyrants and fanatics have very short shelf lives,” he wrote, pointing to past agreements with North Korea.
Mr. Romney goes on to write that while Mr. Obama claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t offer a solution during his address to Congress, Mr. Romney thought he heard the prime minister say to walk away from a “Swiss-cheese” agreement, ramp up sanctions and remove the sanctions only when Iran agrees to dismantle its nuclear enrichment capability and submit to “unrestricted” inspections.
“Finally, if contrary to reason and expectation those sanctions don’t bring Iran to its senses, prepare for a kinetic alternative,” he wrote.
“After all the brickbats heaved by the White House and its friends toward Israel’s prime minister, perhaps we should all consider the fact that he and his nation have a particularly good reason to want to get the right answer on Iran: Its leaders have called for the elimination of Israel and Jews. What he has to say on the subject could well be more well-informed than that, say, from Jon Stewart, or even from an overly agitated Rep. Nancy Pelosi,” he continued.
“It would take uncommon courage for President Obama to scotch a deal with Iran. The Iranians undoubtedly know this, of course, which is why they have been such reluctant, resistant and effective negotiators. Turning down a weak deal may be too much to expect from a president who walked back from his own red line in Syria, but we can hope,” Mr. Romney concluded.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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