MSNBC "The Ed Show"- Transcript: Iran Deal

Interview

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Joining me tonight on the Rapid Response panel, Congressman John Garamendi
of California, also with us tonight, Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The
Nation which turns 150 years this month. Congratulations.

KATRINA VANDED HEUVEL, EDITOR, THE NATION: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Congressman, would this spoil or motivate any kind of debate in
Congress what Huckabee is saying. Is he characterizing something that
maybe some behind close doors are saying in Congress about this Iranian
deal?

REP. JOHN GARAMENDI, (D) CALIFORNIA: I don`t think so. There`s a lot of
opposition to the court. And I don`t know anybody in Congress who`s using
language that is outlandish and frankly reprehensible.

There is opposition to be sure but I think the question all of us need to
ask ourselves is, "OK, we vote this down, then what?" Then Iran is free to
build a bomb. And they could do so in three months.

So, maybe 10, 15, 25 years is a whole lot better than three months. Those
are the kind of questions we need to ask ourselves in a cool analytic way,
not with the kind of rhetoric that Huckabee is tossing around.

SCHULTZ: I mean, is it a lack of attention because Huckabee wrote an
article about dealing with Iran back in 2008. In fact, he advocated for
diplomacy and wanted to avoid a military option. Katrina, what`s the
change in tone all about?

HEUVEL: Well, at the moment in this GOP primary the hard-liners are jacking
as to who will be the hardest liner. And I think you`re witnessing
American Ayatollahs Huckabee, Walker, others but the Congressman is right
and wrong. I mean this is a security enhancing deal. This is an important
historic deal that will enhance America`s security, the region security.

Huckabee should know the key members of Israeli security establishment are
for it, opposed Netanyahu but I do think that what we`re witnessing is a
fundamental -- this guy Huckabee made a misstep in what he said but the
more dangerous opposition, we will witness in this lobbying onslaught.
We`re going to see in this next months.

And, you know, you still have and people who were for taking this nation
into war in Iraq still out there. There`s no accountability. They`re now
preaching for us to go to war with Iran because that is the alternative if
we don`t strike this agreement. There has been a change in the region and
I think fundamentally these people don`t understand that waging diplomacy
is far better than waging war and that a president`s duty is to make war
the very last resort.

So I think we have a big fight ahead, but listen Scott Walker said he`s
going to take military action in day one. Senator Tom Cotton compared John
Kerry to Pontius Pilate. Last, I checked John Kerry wasn`t involved in
killing Jesus Christ. John Kerry has been involved in giving this country
that most historic opportunity for game change in the region and to rebuild
diplomacy as America`s mission in the world not war.

SCHULTZ: Well I mean, Huckabee is not going to be voting on this but
others might be and to embolden the Tom Cotton to the world. I mean,
Congressman, is this the way the opposition really thinks not to mention
that he just said that the president of the United States would walk the
Israelis right to the ovens? Does President Obama deserve something like
that?

GARAMENDI: Well, of course not. No president deserves that and no one
that wants to be president should ever be talking like that. They have a
very, very important responsibility and that`s they want to be the
president of the United States. You better start acting like that.
However, we need to know that the votes are probably in the Congress to
over -- to vote this deal down but the question then comes are the votes
therefore veto overwrite and I think not. I hope not because as I said
earlier and I think I was right about this without this deal there won`t be
sanctions expect those that the United States imposes.

I don`t believe the other five major countries plus the E.U. will standby
if the United States trashes this deal. We are in a situation where we`re
a whole lot better off with this deal than without this deal and that`s how
we ought to move forward.

SCHULTZ: Katrina, what about the political play here? I mean this is
turning out to be the summer of Trump. Huckabee is pulling way down. He
needs to rile up a base somewhere. Is this as much political as it is as
anything else?

HEUVEL: Absolutely Ed. I mean you quoted that 2008 article. He was on
the same page with -- then, you know, Senator Barrack Obama, he was for
containment and some kind of engagement with Iran. This is the summer of
madness. It`s also the summer of Pope (inaudible).

No, I decide the Pope is example of hope but it gives me vertigo. You got
a Pope speaking the way he does and you got Trump. So these candidates are
out trying to out tramp Trump and they live in this right-wing approaching
(ph) for so long and this infrastructure that there -- you know they`re
making these noises but it is very dangerous Ed and I hope that American`s
keep their eyes on the price because they are going to be inundated with
all kinds of false, fearful manipulation in order to do what the
Congressman warned up...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

HEUVEL: ... which is the failure to override -- that you need those votes
to ensure that the president can veto what would be so destructive for the
United States.

SCHULTZ: John, what about that?

GARAMENDI: I think (inaudible) is going to -- well, I think the votes are
going to be there at the end of the day. Right there`s a lot huffing and
puffing and beating of the chest and phenomenal rhetoric particularly from
the presidential candidates on the Republican side. We hear some of that -
- well, we hear a lot of that in Congress also.

But the reality is that eventually after these 45 days have passed and
we`re going to have to stand up and vote one way or another about whether
we`re going to give Iran by voting -- to trash this deal either in the
outright or in the veto. We`re giving Iran a free pass to build a nuclear
weapon and they have the potential of building 10 nuclear weapons within
the next three months or shortly thereafter. That`s a really...

SCHULTZ: Yeah.

GARAMENDI: ... dangerous situation.

SCHULTZ: No doubt.

GARAMENDI: We have not to go there. We`re better off with 10, 15, 25
years with Iran not having a nuclear weapon.

SCHULTZ: Congressman John Garamendi, Katrina Vanden Heuvel of the Nation,
great to have both of you on us on the Ed Show.

HEUVEL: Thank you.

SCHULTZ: Thanks for the conversation.

GARAMENDI: Thank you Ed.

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