The Colorado Statesman - Colo. reacts to Netanyahu speech

News Article

By Lars Gesing

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used his address to both chambers of the U.S. Congress last week to denounce the kind of concessions the Obama administration is seeking from Iran regarding its nuclear program as a "bad deal." Before Netanyahu even uttered one word of his speech, his visit had already caused ample controversy. So much controversy, in fact, that many seats reserved for Democrats remained empty during the joint session on Tuesday.

Colorado's Congressional delegation unanimously chose not to boycott the speech -- at least on paper. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, didn't attend, citing her own long-scheduled address to the Association of Clinical Research Organizations. There, DeGette spoke about her 21st Century Cares initiative, her "core legislative priority," according to her spokesperson who also claimed rescheduling was not so simple but did not say it wasn't possible. Asked later if the Congresswoman would have attended if not for the ARCO speech, the staffer didn't respond. When DeGette got back to Capitol Hill shortly after 11:30 a.m., she caught the rest of it on TV in her office. In a statement her communications team then put out, she said the Prime Minister "voiced well-known concerns about the Iranian nuclear program." That sentiment was in line with what President Obama told reporters in the Oval Office that afternoon: The Israeli prime minister didn't really offer anything new.

But the Congresswoman, whose constituency includes a large Jewish community and other supporters of the Israeli cause, also said she was disappointed that the planning and timing of the speech have "obscured the greater issues at play."

Here is an overview of the thoughts the other eight members of Colorado's congressional delegations had to offer after Netanyahu left the stage.

Sen. Cory Gardner said it was unacceptable to allow "the tentacles of terror" even the appearance of an opportunity to do harm to America and its allies. He praised Netanyahu's "incredibly important" and "clear-headed analysis of Iran as the world's leading sponsor of terror" that provided "crucial context for ongoing negotiations."

His Democratic counterpart, Sen. Michael Bennet, also emphasized the "unique and unbreakable bond" between Americans and Israelis, but then took a swing at the Republican leadership: "Our support for Israel has always been bipartisan and remains one of the few areas in Washington where both parties can agree," Bennet said in a statement to The Colorado Statesman. / "The stakes are as high as they've ever been for Israel and we cannot afford to sink into partisan bickering."

Democratic Rep. Jared Polis also voiced his discontent with what many Democrats believed to be a purely political stunt orchestrated by Republicans to affront the White House: Polis said, "While I continue to believe the process by which the Prime Minister was invited to speak to Congress was flawed, I remain committed to maintaining the strong alliance between Israel and the United States."

Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter didn't decide to attend Netanyahu's speech until the day before. In a pre-address statement, he said, "I don't agree with the timing or the way House Republicans handled the invitation to Prime Minster Netanyahu, but I feel it is important for me to attend as a Member of Congress." Afterward, his spokesperson told The Statesman that the Congressman "heard what he expected to hear from Prime Minister Netanyahu."

On the other side of the aisle, Colorado's Republican House members unanimously touted the foreign leader who is fighting to win reelection at home in two weeks.

Rep. Scott Tipton, a member of the Republican Israel Caucus, called Americans and Israelis "one family." In a statement, he said a nuclear Iran would make peace impossible. Tipton also shot some of the Democratic animosity right back across the aisle and criticized the lack of respect for Netanyahu: "I believe this sends a reckless message to the international community that the United States is not approaching ongoing talks with Iran on that nation's nuclear program from a position of strength, but from one of compromise -- which we cannot do."

Rep. Ken Buck said Netanyahu's speech came at a "critical time." And: "The Prime Minister stated, 'the greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons.' He exhibits clarity of thought that our commander in chief has failed to exhibit in his dealings with Iran. (…) For President Obama to negotiate with a regime that refers to America as the 'Great Satan' and organizes 'Death to America' rallies is utter nonsense."

Republican Israel Caucus co-chair Rep. Doug Lamborn wrote in an opinion piece for The Hill that "Netanyahu's message should be heeded." In a statement, he also picked apart the quintessence of what's on the table between the negotiators and made clear what he thought about the Obama administration's claim that it is up to the executive branch of the government to deal with foreign leaders. "With two deadline extensions behind us, with the administration's acquiescence to enrichment, and with a potential sunset clause of no more than 10-15 years in the agreement, we now know once and for all, this is a bad deal. Congress must assert its role and responsibility as a coequal branch in the safety of America and Israel."

And Rep. Mike Coffman used his own background as a Marine Corps veteran to hurl criticism at the Obama administration and its negotiation tactics: "In my four military deployments to the Middle East I have learned to never take the threat of Iran lightly. I fear the President is making that mistake in his negotiations. But after today's address, you can rest assured Congress will not be rubber stamping this President's policies toward Iran."