On March 9, 47 U.S. senators sent a public letter addressed to the leadership of Iran, promising to oppose and undermine American negotiations with that country. Our diplomats are in the final stages of securing an agreement that would prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
This outrageous effort led by Sen. Tom Cotton to undercut our diplomats is not only unconstructive and embarrassing--it is irresponsible and dangerous.
Having been born and raised in central Arkansas, grown up in a military family, and served as a civilian contractor for the U.S. Marine Corps, I was surprised to see Senator Cotton give in to the political games of Washington, D.C., by leading a reckless, politically driven effort to derail diplomatic efforts that could prevent another costly war in the Middle East.
During my time training and advising Marines, it was an honor to work alongside dedicated men and women who were deploying to Iraq. I watched many of my friends and colleagues leave their families to fight for freedom and security--some of whom never returned. Far too many in my generation have paid the price of war.
I am disappointed that Senator Cotton, a former Army officer, is now the face of a political effort to undermine the very negotiations that could provide a solution to an immensely challenging foreign-policy problem without risking a single American life. We owe it to our men and women in uniform to do everything we can diplomatically to resolve this issue.
Senator Cotton claims to be worried about "dangerous, one-sided concessions" in the talks with Iran. These are pretty strong judgments, considering that an agreement hasn't been announced yet. Moreover, Senator Cotton doesn't offer any way forward for tough diplomacy, and is in fact on record opposing the very idea of the negotiations.
And what, if not a diplomatic outcome, does he propose? U.S. military leaders have already told us that there is no military-only solution that can prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. In fact, security experts agree that a military-only approach would only accelerate Iran's efforts to build a nuclear weapon.
I agree with the president, Congress, and the majority of Americans that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon--and of course, all options to achieve that goal must be left on the table. Despite what Sen. Cotton would have us believe, American diplomats serving on the front lines fully understand the danger Iran poses to American security and our allies around the world. Their work has already made us safer: Iran's nuclear program has been frozen for more than a year, international inspectors have unheard-of access to Iranian facilities, and every step of the negotiations has first required verifiable evidence that Iran isn't cheating.
These political stunts by some in Washington threaten American security by both undermining our senior officials at the negotiating table and encouraging hard-liner factions within the Iranian government.
No one denies that the Iranian regime is dangerous, and that is why our diplomats and allies will not accept any agreement that does not prevent an Iranian nuclear weapon--period. Anyone in Congress or otherwise who opposes these critical negotiations without offering serious alternatives pushes us closer to war.
Senators do not micromanage our generals deployed to the battlefield; they must not do so for American diplomats during the final stages of nuclear negotiations. Our leaders in Washington must do everything they can before sending our sons, daughters, brothers and sisters off to war.
I am proud to be a native son of Arkansas. We have a rich history of electing representatives and senators from both parties who stand up to the status quo, putting the people of our state first. Senator Cotton is failing to live up to that standard.
We face serious challenges and threats as a nation, and we need our senators to rise above politics and put our national security first.
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Brandon Fureigh is a native of Greenbrier and currently serves as the chief strategy officer for the Truman National Security Project.
Editorial on 03/20/2015