As the United States and others pursue an interim nuclear deal with Iran, it’s an open question as to whether Congress will deliberately scuttle the historic talks with the imposition of new sanctions. The White House has lobbied senators extensively, but as of last night, the best President Obama could do was secure a delay in possible new measures against Tehran.
For now, the public is clearly siding with the White House. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Americans, by a 2-to-1 ratio, would support a negotiated agreement in which the West lifts some economic sanctions “in exchange for Iran restricting its nuclear program in a way that makes it harder for it to produce nuclear weapons.” A majority of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and independents all agree.
And then, of course, there’s Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), who recently shared her own unique take on the delicate process.
“For some unknown reason the Obama administration wants the last country in the world that should have a nuclear bomb to get one,” Bachmann said. “Call your member of Congress, tell them ‘I want you to stop President Obama from giving the ability to have a nuclear bomb to Iran and that’s the bottom line of what’s happening here.’”“It is treasonous and I think that’s why you hear more and more people calling for the impeachment of the President of the United States,” she continued.
You see, in Bachmann’s mind, Obama’s efforts to negotiate a deal that prevents Iran from advancing towards a nuclear-weapons program is actually evidence of Obama trying to help Iran have nukes. The unhinged lawmaker feels so strongly about this that she’s comfortable publicly throwing around words like “treason.”
Now, I know what many of you are probably thinking: “No sensible person could possibly give a darn what Michele Bachmann thinks about much of anything, especially U.S. policy towards Iran.” And I’ll gladly concede, it’s a fair response.
But let’s not forget that as profound as Bachmann’s, shall we say, issues may be, House GOP leaders have made her a member of the House Intelligence Committee where she has access to some of the nation’s most sensitive and highly classified materials, she travels abroad where she gives foreigners the impression that she speaks on behalf of Congress, and she even meets for substantive discussions with foreign heads of state — including, just last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Bachmann’s bizarre understanding of current events shouldn’t matter in the slightest, but it’d be easier to laugh at her nonsense if she weren’t in a position to do harm.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."