Posted on 05/28/2014 11:45:14 PM PDT by kingattax
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) came away from meeting with Israeli leaders struck by their unanimous opposition across political lines to the U.S. negotiations with Iran.
I met with roughly a dozen senior officials in Israel across political parties and across political views, and every single leader with whom I met, number one viewed the prospect of Iran gaining nuclear weapons capability as the gravest national security threat facing Israel and facing the United States, Cruz said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.
Number two, every single leader across the political spectrum viewed the current deal being negotiated in Geneva, as in the words of Prime Minister Netanyahu, a very, very bad deal and a historic mistake, Cruz added.
While in Israel Tuesday, Cruz met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Defense Minister Moshe Bogi Yaalon, opposition leader Bogie Herzog, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz and Israeli Gen. Yossi Kuperwasser.
It was the first leg of Cruzs international trip. The rest was in Eastern Europe where he met with government and religious leaders in Ukraine Wednesday, including recent President-elect Petro Poroshenko. He was set to fly to Poland Wednesday night before going to Estonia on Thursday. The swing through international hot spots could bolster the conservative freshman senators expected 2016 presidential campaign.
(Excerpt) Read more at theblaze.com ...
Israel knows who is the next President of the USA.
Sure looks to me like he's gunning for it. More power to him. He's got my vote. Unless Sarah runs.
sarah has found her niche - and its not elective politics.
Wait? Wasn’t everybody mad when Obama was violating the Logan Amendment as a Senator, and before that John Kerry doing it? Conservatives should be consistent to their beliefs. A Senator is not supposed to be interfering in foreign policy.
Senator Cruz serves on the Armed Services Committee. what exactly is he doing that you apparently object to ?
I don’t object to what he is saying. Have you heard of the Logan Amendment? Do you remember how mad people were when Senator Obama traveling to other countries negotiating foreign policy?
very respectfully, which is it ? you want to indict Sen Cruz for violating the Logan Act or you want to give a history lesson ?
So conservatives are supposed to abandon the rule of law and the Constitution? Have you already joined the left? It’s like MSNBC decides what conservatism is now.
This sure looks like Cruz is positioning himself for 2016. Glad to see it. He’s a little young, but I don’t see anyone better on the horizon.
since i respectfully attempted to arrive at the specific basis for your displeasure with Sen Cruz, all i received was a silly question and an equally silly accusation.
there can be some wonderful moments here in FreeRepublic where an exchange with someone can bring a fresh new perspective or a valuable learning experience.
regretfully you provided neither.
I think I was very clear. Senator Cruz, although I may agree with his views, is not supposed to be interfering with foreign policy. Why is that so difficult to understand? If conservative ideas mean something, we should adhere to them, right? How can we justify criticizing Obama for doing something, and then ignore it when someone we like does it?
§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments. Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
Note the qualification "without the authority of the United States".
Now, be aware of the official position of the Department of State as of 1995:
The clear intent of this provision [Logan Act] is to prohibit unauthorized persons from intervening in disputes between the United States and foreign governments. Nothing in section 953 [Logan Act], however, would appear to restrict members of the Congress from engaging in discussions with foreign officials in pursuance of their legislative duties under the Constitution.
Thus, it appears that members of Congress are "authorized" to have conversations with foreign governments -- but not to >negotiate with them unless expressly authorized by the President.
Notably, only one indictment has been brought under Section 953 -- that against Peter Flournoy, a private citizen, in 1803. But the case was dropped and there has never been a prosecution under the Logan Act.
There have been times when members of Congress have apparently entered negotiations with foreign governments without proper authority and, indeed, work to defeat a policy of the United States. In these cases, the argument that they have violated the Logan Act can certainly be made -- though it has never led to a prosecution.
However, Senator Cruz clearly has not exceeded his authority under the terms of the act.
Thanks for posting.
This is a foreign policy doctrine issue, not a political issue.
On one side are the NeoCon republicans aligned with the Liberal Interventionist democrats versus the Realists who can be a democrat or republican.
To put it another way: Republican Senator Mark Kirk and Democrat Senator Robert Menendez versus Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democrat Senator Diane Feinstein.
Or to put it another way: AIPAC versus J Street
No not really but I did look it up. Funny I haven't heard this mentioned in any recent campaigns. Wouldn't this apply to Senator McCain sticking his nose into Libya, Syria and Ukraine's internal affairs.
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You're wrong.
Cruz didn't negotiate with Israel. Instead it looks like a run of he mill fact finding mission.
There is nothing realist about an ideology that declare ideology irrelevent. And there is nothing realist about allowing Iran to have nukes. It’s suicide by cowardice.
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