On those freed by Iran, then and now. Trump and Cruz
The release of the US prisoners who were being held in Iran is great news. But I find myself (yet again) disgusted by the narrative being spewed by Trump and Cruz (and others).
In the past, they were both critical of the deal with Iran, and complained that the nuclear deal did not include the release of the “hostages”.
Republican presidential hopefuls Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz slammed President Barack Obama’s Iran deal, saying that he has neglected American hostages held in the Islamic Republic.
christianpost.com
“According to the interim agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear program that was reached this weekend in Geneva, not one centrifuge will be destroyed,” the Texas Republican and potential 2016 presidential candidate said in a statement. “Not one pound of enriched uranium will leave Iran. Not one American unjustly detained in Iran’s notorious prisons will be released.
politico.com
And obviously, Cruz was wrong about the enriched Uranium leaving Iran, demonstrably. And then the recent seizure by Iran of the two vessels and the sailors who accidentally strayed into Iranian territorial waters was a huge topic at the recent debate. Of course, that resolved itself pretty quickly. But if the nominees in the debate had their way, it would have been all out war.
And speaking of the debate, another line peddled by these demagogues is that Obama is “giving” Iran $150 billion dollars. They of course neglect to mention that it’s actually Iran’s own money, frozen by sanctions. And anyone with a half brain knows that it’s not simply Obama, and that the sanctions were very likely to collapse anyway. But as they typically do, they don’t let the actual facts get in the way of their petulant whining stories.
And so, on the eve of the sanction relief, Iran and the US announce a deal in which the US swaps Iranian prisoners detained for sanction violations, for the US prisoners held in Iran. Without the prior nuclear deal and actual political dialogue between the countries, this would have been very unlikely to happen. And in what is no surprise at all, Trump and Cruz (and others) just have to whine, kick, scream and throw their toys out of their cots.
Donald Trump questioned what the US gained from the deal, in which four American-Iranian dual-nationals were released and seven Iranians held on sanctions violations were released or pardoned.
“They’re getting seven people, so essentially they get $150bn plus seven, and we get four,” the billionaire said.
theguardian.com
Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio praised Iran’s release of five detained Americans on Sunday, but sharply criticized the deal the White House made to win their freedom saying it would lead to more Americans being taken “hostage.”
reuters.com
It really just goes to show that results mean nothing to these people, if accomplished by the Obama administration. No matter what, they’re just gonna whine. But, what scares me more than Trump and Cruz, is that their followers buy into their fictions without a hint of critical evaluation. But then they probably also watch Fox. And Fox, would have to make the old Soviet era Pravda, green with envy.