Last year, Sen. Rand Paul traveled to Guatemala, where he worked against U.S. foreign policy during the child-migrant crisis. Before that, other GOP legislators traveled to Israel, with the intention of undermining U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Senator Tom Cotton himself, organized 46 of his Senate Republican colleagues, asking them to each to write letter to Iranian officials, which urged them not to trust the United States during sensitive negotiations. Behavior like this, behavior which is destructive to the United States as a whole, is becoming more and more common for Republicans.
Tom Cotton (R) Ark. met with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, part of his one week trip to Israel. Tom Cotton said in a statement after the meeting,
“Today’s meeting only reaffirms my opposition to this deal. I will stand with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Israel, and work with my colleagues in Congress to stop this deal and to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself against Iran and its terrorist surrogates.”
Consider the behavior being endorsed by the Republican party. An elected U.S. senator travels to another country as part of his purchased partnership with a foreign official. Together, their goal is to undermine American foreign policy. The Republican senator is working for Israel, and against the United States of America. And there is a reason for that. The Kristol’s Emergency Committee for Israel gave Tom Cotton nearly $1 million in his race for the Senate just five months ago.
The visit from Senator Tom Cotton comes as congress reviews the nuclear deal with Iran. Senator Tom Cotton and Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu are both vigorously opposed to the deal. Netanyahu claims the pact will only ensure Iran’s path to nuclear weapons, and increase its ability to support terrorism. Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused to discuss alternative plans for Iran, claiming they cannot be trusted. Not surprisingly, Tom Cotton echoes the statements of his wealthy employer.
Towards the end of the Bush/Cheney era, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D) traveled to Syria and met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. She did not, however, go to sabotage American foreign policy. Instead, she coordinated with Bush administration officials, and State Department personnel literally joined the meeting. At the time, however, Republicans became outraged. Vice President Dick Cheney complained to Rush Limbaugh,
“The president is the one who conducts foreign policy, not the speaker of the House.”
Eight years later, the president is still the one who conducts foreign policy. Unfortunately, the Republican prejudice and hatred of President Obama has made traitorous behavior acceptable. Especially if donations are involved.
