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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit Former Medford detective accused of exploiting man with dementia State police: Grants Pass shooter tried to run victim off the road Poodle killed with pellet gun in west Medford Pot-munching deer at Applegate Lodge stars on 'Daily Show' Crime, Courts and Emergency Services State police: Grants Pass shooter tried to run victim off the road Poodle killed with pellet gun in west Medford Car thefts spike in Medford Grants Pass man charged with attempted murder in shooting of Eagle Point resident Emergency Services Politics and Elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for one year Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Arthur I. 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Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Guest Opinion: How schools teach U.S. history raises hackles Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorials Our View: Some police videos should be released Our View: Public records rules should apply to lawmakers, too Our View: Oregon schools will have to make do with a little more money Our View: Medford police tried to avoid confrontation Other Views: Dave Frohnmayer was a man of honor Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 26 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 24 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Columns Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Kent Bush: Pete Rose’s request complicated by Jarred Cosart Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Guest Opinion: How schools teach U.S. history raises hackles Arthur I. 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Plant a few dahlias, Dahling Health Community blog: How to Get Rid of a Tension Headache St. Mary's student helps others with diabetes Community blog: Sleep Tight: Making Your Bed, Body and Mind Ready for Rest Health Watch: 5 tips for seasonal allergy relief A better bedtime Hiking Biking Faith Religion briefs: Friday, March 27 Religion briefs Religion News: Presbyterian Church gives approval on same-sex marriage Religion briefs: Friday, March 13 More religion events in the Rogue Valley Milestones and Achievements Haga-Parks Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Here's Tempo's top five picks for live entertainment this week The 2015 Rising Stars music competition ends with its final round on the Britt stage in Jacksonville Live Music in Local Clubs Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Next Stage Repertory presents 'Educating Rita' at the Craterian Theater Theater ‘A Dream of Red Pavilions’ at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Review: Education and its discontents Next Stage Repertory presents 'Educating Rita' at the Craterian Theater Eugene O'Neill's 'Long Day's Journey into Night' opens at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Camelot's 'Sunset Boulevard' ambitious, not as dark Music Futurebirds play the Brickroom in Ashland The 2015 Rising Stars music competition ends with its final round on the Britt stage in Jacksonville Live Music in Local Clubs Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Farr Side: Lines are blurred with theft of Marvin Gaye’s classic groove Community Events Rogue Valley artist Linda Evans' pastel paintings capture landscapes of Southern Oregon Ashland Independent Film Festival announces this year's lineup OSF Hip-Hop Poetry Open Mic Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Dining Basque-inspired cuisine at Eleven in Ashland Parsing the meaning behind wine medals and scores Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 22 Jasmine Thai Cuisine Restaurant Inspections Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit ... Former Medford detective accused of exploiting man with dementia ... Mandatory paid sick leave gets mixed reviews ... UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit ... Former Medford detective accused of exploiting man with dementia ... Mandatory paid sick leave gets mixed reviews ... ANOTHER VIEW Michael Gerson: How to block a bad nuclear deal with Iran MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 24, 2015 @ 12:01 am Posted Mar. 24, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> It is the common temptation of Republicans and Democrats to support a strong executive when it does things they like, and to condemn it when it does things they don't. There is, however, a group of committed institutionalists that has gathered around the Bipartisan Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, now scheduled for a vote of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 14. The bill is carefully limited in scope, setting a 60-day review period following a nuclear agreement in which Congress can waive (or not) the congressionally mandated sanctions against Iran. Policy related to United Nations sanctions and executive-imposed sanctions would be left entirely to the president. The administration concedes that Congress should eventually have a role in determining the shape of congressional sanctions; the legislation would merely move a congressional vote from the end of the process to the beginning. President Obama has promised to veto the measure. His intention (assuming an agreement with Iran is reached) is to waive congressional sanctions until after his time in office ends. Senate proponents of the Review Act count 11 Democratic supporters, including principled institutionalists such as Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Assuming all Republican senators come along, only two more Democrats are necessary for a veto-proof majority. The effort to secure those votes was set back by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton's ill-advised, partisan "Dear Mullah" letter. In the estimate of one supporter of the Review Act, six or seven Democratic senators went from gettable to ungettable. The committee vote was delayed until mid-April, in part to allow partisan tempers to cool. Many Republican senators are open to supporting a reasonable nuclear deal with Iran. But they have a series of reasonable concerns. Several weeks ago, the multilateral negotiating process — including the five members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany — was effectively superseded, when the Obama administration began direct talks with the Iranians. Since then, one senator told me on background, the U.S. has moved "every day closer to the Iranian position." This is the source of increasingly vocal concern from excluded partners — including the French, who called for a stiffened spine in negotiations. As with any nuclear agreement, the devil — or, in this case, the Great Satan — is in the details. What kinds of centrifuges should be allowed? What sort of inspections would limit the prospect of Iranian covert actions? What do we need to know about the previous military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program? (Recent talks have raised the prospect that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif may not be fully knowledgeable about what the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been doing.) Senate Republicans not only fear a bad deal, they sense a major shift in American policy — a desire to cozy up with Iran in the fight against Sunni extremism. Such a regional rebalancing would involve a shift away from Israel and America's traditional Arab partners. (This prospect — and not a personality clash between Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — is the main source of Israeli angst.) The result can already be seen in Iraq, where Iranian allies have permeated the parliament and where Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force commander, has become a folk hero among Iraqi Shiites. Evidence for an evolving administration attitude toward Iran has been on recent display. Recently, Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has dropped barrel bombs filled with chlorine gas on civilians — crossing yet another American red line. But punishing the Assad regime with anything more than a tongue-lashing would offend its Iranian sponsor and, perhaps, disrupt nuclear negotiations. So: Assad commits crimes against humanity, while Obama is really angry about Netanyahu's campaign strategy. America's strategic shift in the Middle East is leaving deep, unresolved contractions. The U.S. is vetting, training and equipping moderate rebels to enter Syria, who will be promptly barrel-bombed by the Assad regime, which America has no intention of preventing. (Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently testified that they have no authority to protect American-trained proxies in Syria.) It is a policy so impractical, so careless of consequences, that it is immoral. The administration is attempting a series of enormously complex, consequential diplomatic maneuvers — for which it has shown no aptitude in the past (see the Russian "reset" and three years of disastrous Syrian inaction). But members of Congress are being told to sit down and shut up. Stunts such as the Cotton letter are counterproductive. Responses such as the Review Act are badly needed. Michael Gerson's email address is [email protected]. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Mar. 24, 2015 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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