THE HOUSE WARNS OBAMA – AT 11:30 A.M. ET:   An overwhelming majority of House members has issued a warning to President Obama over Iran.  From The Hill: 

A letter to President Obama signed by 367 members of Congress warns that lawmakers must be satisfied that any Iranian nuclear agreement must "foreclose any pathway to a bomb" before they lift sanctions against Tehran.

The letter, which was drafted in early March but released on Monday, warns Obama that "permanent sanctions relief from congressionally-mandated sanctions would require new legislation" from Congress.

"Congress must be convinced that its terms foreclose any pathway to a bomb, and only then will Congress be able to consider permanent sanctions relief," reads the letter, led by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) and ranking member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.).

The letter comes just before U.S. and international negotiators are due to reach a March 31 deadline for a framework agreement with Iran to roll back its nuclear program.

The letter also comes after Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and 66 other senators sent a letter to Iran on March 9 warning it that Congress needed to have a role in approving any deal. White House officials blasted that letter, and have threatened to veto any legislation that comes before the talks are set to conclude on June 30.

Senators, however, appear poised to pounce on legislation after they return from recess, which runs between March 30 and April 10.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) announced on Friday he would schedule a committee vote April 14 on a bill that would allow Congress 60 days to review any deal before its implementation.

Although the House letter does not mention specific legislation, it said, "we are prepared to evaluate any agreement to determine its long-term impact on the United States and our allies."

COMMENT:  It's apparent that Congress, including many Democrats, is deadly serious about Iran.  We hope it stays that way.  It's also apparent that we have a breathtakingly incompetent and arrogant president who doesn't even understand the basics of working with Congress.  Shades of Jimmy Carter, who also considered himself lofty and above us all.  Didn't work out too well for Jimmy, once he encountered Ronald Reagan.

There are reports that the Obamans may try to get around Congress by taking any agreement directly to the UN Security Council for approval, and insisting that such approval would bind the United States.  Then watch the uproar from a good part of the public, as people realize that the national-defense policies of the United States have been turned over to Russia and China. 

Of course, much of this assumes that we'll have an agreement with Iran.  We're not there yet.

March 23, 2015