Democratic pollster Pat Caddell has been here before.
As part of Jimmy Carter's inner circle, he witnessed the way the U.S. pulled the rug out from beneath the late shah of Iran, a pro-American, pro-Israel leader of one of the Mideast's most powerful Muslim nations in 1979.
It led directly to the brutal Iranian revolution, the deadliest war in the modern history of the Middle East in which more than 1 million in Iran and Iraq were killed, the loss of a stable American ally, the rise of Hezbollah, an increase in terrorism worldwide, a major reawakening of both Sunni and Shia Islamic fundamentalism, the taking of U.S. hostages in Iran and nuclear aspirations among Muslim nations in the Middle East, the undoing of Jimmy Carter and the first election landslide of Republican Ronald Reagan.
Now Caddell is reminding his own party that the appeasement of the anti-American and anti-Israel mullahs in the extremely unpopular, not to mention partially "secret" Iranian nuclear deal could result in an even bigger setback for the Democratic Party in 2016 and beyond.
Why is that?
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"If the question is that they have voted for something that the American people think is dire and ends up having dire consequences because the majority will of the Congress and the vast majority will of the country's been ignored, I fear the Democrats will live with this issue of 'they lost the Middle East,'" Caddell told WND last week. "And that will be painful election after election."
Deservedly so, I might add.
This Iran deal doesn't just permit Iran to build nuclear weapons, it encourages it. It doesn't just encourage Iran to build nuclear weapons, it funds the effort. It doesn't just fund Iran's effort to build nuclear weapons, it makes a mockery of America on the world stage. It doesn't just make a mockery of America on the world stage, it places the national security at great risk for the future. It doesn't just place America's national security at great risk, it is destabilizing for the entire world.
"Large majorities of Democrats look at a deal in which the side agreements on inspections, even without the knowledge Iran would be self-testing its violations, the questions about handing over $100-150 billion almost immediately for their nefarious activities; all of these things which the public opposes in 75-80 percent numbers," Caddell said.
The resolution to reject the Iran deal appeared to be on course for passage in the House and majority support in the Senate. However, it's looking less likely that opponents will find the two-thirds majority needed to override a promised Obama veto. In fact, only two Senate Democrats are publicly splitting with the president thus far. Opponents will need at least four more Democrats just to fend off a filibuster.
Meanwhile, in the House, Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi is playing a role similar to the one she played in the passage of Obamacare. Back then, she became famous for proclaiming, "We have to pass the bill to find out what's in it." In the Iran deal, it's even worse. The secret side deals negotiated by Barack Obama's Secretary of State John Kerry with Iran may never be known to the American public.
Thus, Pelosi's job is even more preposterous than it was with Obamacare. Now she's literally in the position of persuading members to pass a bill they won't even understand after it becomes law.
But, to be fair, this deal is not just a Democrat creation.
It's the result of seven years of Republican appeasement of Obama that convinced him he could ignore the constitutional role of Congress and act like a dictator. He has assumed and usurped authority without challenge. After all this time, why should we be surprised that Obama would presume to make secret pseudo-treaties with real advice and consent?
Mitch McConnell and John Boehner may adamantly oppose the Iran deal, but they are complicit in creating the environment that made this debacle a reality and, potentially, an apocalyptic American tragedy.
It's this kind of circus in Washington that has energized the Donald Trump campaign – a populist, anti-establishment political juggernaut.
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