Susan Rice delivers tough message to AIPAC

On the eve of Israeli Prime Minister Benjaman Netanyahu's ill-conceived lobbying speech to Congress on Tuesday, President Obama's national security adviser Susan Rice addressed a meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and delivered a tough message about the realities of negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program.

As reported by Samantha Lachmann for the Huffington Post:
"Susan Rice, President Barack Obama's national security adviser, buttered up the thousands of American Israel Public Affairs Committee policy conference delegates here Monday evening with Hebrew phrases and warm anecdotes about her visits to Israel.

"Then she brought on the tough talk, telling AIPAC delegates that their lobbying activities threaten to blow up ongoing negotiations to limit Iran's nuclear program.  'We cannot let an unachievable ideal stand in the way of a good deal,' Rice said. . . .  

"Delegates gave Rice a standing ovation when she said, 'I know that some of you will be urging Congress to insist that Iran forego its domestic enrichment entirely.'   But she cut off the applause, saying that barring Iran from developing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is not 'a viable negotiating position.'

"'As desirable as that would be, it is neither realistic nor achievable,' Rice said."

Other commentators on Netanyahu's lobbying effort before Congress have explained that the situation boils down to this:    Either we negotiate the best deal we can that will limit the level of concentration of uranium Iran can develop for peaceful nuclear purposes -- or else we walk away from the negotiating table and resort to military action to stop them.    The current U. S. position is that daily inspections continue and that Iran should never be allowed to get within one year of being able to produce a bomb.

Although Netanyahu is making nice now that he is here, saying that he intended no disrespect for President Obama or the office of the president, he has been very blunt in past remarks that his intention is to stop any deal we might make with Iran short of completely halting any nuclear program even for peaceful uses.    The alternative he seems to want is military action now. But, at least according to one analyst of the situation, speaking on MSNBC, only a major invasion with 500,000 troops on the ground could accomplish the complete stopping of their program.   Bombing their facilities won't do it. 

Netanyahu says he is coming to speak to Congress, because he does not believe they fully understand the situation.   But Netanyahu has been proven repeatedly in the past to exaggerate the threat of Iran.    For the past 20 years, he has been insisting that Iran could build a bomb within 3 to 5 years.  They haven't.   And he has repeatedly said that throughout the years, even though his own Massad intelligence unit has said that Iran is not engaging in activities that would lead to making a bomb.

So, here we are poised for the denouement of this international tension between the President of the United State and the Prime Minister of Israel.

Stay tuned.

Ralph