Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) defended the Iran nuclear deal by stating, “We know Iran is a terrible actor on the world stage. That’s why we need this agreement” on Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Hardball.”
Boxer said, “Well, I think the president and President Kennedy, both presidents, Kennedy was a truth-teller. Barack Obama is a truth-teller. This is very, very similar, because it’s a vote of conscience, and the alternatives are very, very clear. And I remember those painful days of the Iraq War, and believe me, I didn’t sleep much in those years, because I was trying so hard to stop it. And it just went on and on for so long. And we see the results of it here at home. So, we have an opportunity here to take the path that offers hope. And you know, I came out with my statement after I met with our allies, the ambassadors were here, and they were called together by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who’s a great leader on this, and they spoke to us. And let me tell you what they said, very, very clearly. If we reject this agreement, we are playing right into the hands of the hardliners in Iran, and it will lead to a collapse of the sanctions, and for sure, Iran building a bomb, and then, the option is what? It’s war. And the people have had too much of that. Let us go down this path. And we always have that option, Chris. we always have that option. We know Iran is a terrible actor on the world stage. That’s why we need this agreement.”
Host Chris Matthews then asked Boxer whether, the deal’s opponents believe they can get a better deal with Iran from President Obama. She answered, “No, they don’t. They know they can’t get a better deal, period, because they know that the whole world, pretty much is behind this deal. And we know that Israel is concerned, and believe me, as someone who stands very tall, even though I’m only five feet, as the longest serving United States Senator who is Jewish-American, and the longest serving Congress member, along with [Rep.] Sandy Levin, (D-MI), I am saying to you, and he has said as well, this is the way to go. And I want to say this, as I look at the discussion in Israel. We certainly know where [the] prime minister is on this, and we know where most of the politicians are, but we’re seeing now, more of a chorus of the security people there, for example, the former head of the Israeli FBI said, the agreement is the best possible alternative from the Israeli point of view. And we’re seeing more and more of these security people come out in Israel. So, I think as — the longer this sits out there, I think the more momentum we’ll get. Today, we got Independent Angus King [to] come out in favor of this, which is huge, because he’s an extremely thoughtful member. And I think the momentum is picking up.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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