It’s too early for blow-by-blow coverage of federal election campaigns, right? Maybe not, with the fight for the Iran deal getting very, very, very political.
- Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Scott Walker are tussling, the Weekly Standard reported, over whether contemplating a strike on Iran in the first week of one’s presidency is wise. (Bush thinks it isn’t.)
- Rep. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is using Sen. Mark Kirk’s criticism of the Iran deal in an ad for her bid to unseat the Illinois Republican. At least one Democrat isn’t worried that her support of the deal makes her vulnerable.
- Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to Washington, has been lobbying the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose the Iran deal, Foreign Policy reported. He’s been persistent, and welcomed, but less than successful.
“Is that the Republican guy from Florida?” Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., reportedly chortled when asked if he had met with Dermer. “We had a long talk.”
Rangel added that during his meeting with Dermer, the ambassador made references to Jewish support for the civil rights movement in the 1960s — a history Rangel didn’t see as relevant.
“They certainly have the ‘we were together in 1961’ story,” said Rangel. “It’s not germane to this.”
