POWELL BAILS OUT HIS FRIEND – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  Colin Powell, the supposed Republican who has supported Barack Obama twice for president, now has done Obama another favor by endorsing the Iran nuclear deal, although his endorsement is lukewarm.  From International Business Times: 

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who served under President George W. Bush, Sunday told host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Iran nuclear agreement struck between the country and six world powers led by the United States is "a pretty good deal." Powell added that the accord would reduce the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon, arguing that critics of the deal who insist it will do the opposite, are "forgetting the reality that [Iranian leaders] have been on a superhighway, for the last 10 years, to create a nuclear weapon or a nuclear weapons program, with no speed limit."

During his appearance on the program, Powell also pushed back on skeptics who have questioned the ability of independent inspectors to verify that Iran is holding up its end of the deal. "With respect to the Iranians," Powell said, "don't trust, never trust, and always verify.

"And I think a very vigorous verification regime has been put into place," he added.

Oh please.  I lost confidence in Powell, a very political general, a long time ago.  True, a small number of retired flag and general officers endorse the deal, but a vastly greater number oppose it.  The national security of the United States has been greatly weakened under Obama, but General Powell has nothing to say about that.  He, too, apparently is loyal to the greater glory of Barack.

The deal affords the United Nations the ability to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities in exchange for relaxed sanctions on the country, which has struggled for years under the weight of the economic restrictions. A number of former inspectors have raised questions about the ability of the inspectors who would be responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear capabilities, saying they do not have the necessary expertise to point out machines or processes that could or would indicate Iran is militarizing its nuclear material. That point has been seized upon by opponents of the deal who argue that the accord would do nothing but put Tehran on the fast track to developing a nuclear weapon.

The deal has been strongly opposed by Israeli Prime Ministers Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders in the Middle East. The U.S. Congress also appears largely opposed to the agreement, though President Barack Obama has secured the support of enough U.S. Senators to ensure a veto of resolutions to block the deal.

COMMENT:  This deal, by eliminating sanctions, helps to make Iran the most powerful nation in the region.  How this contributes to peace and security is beyond me. 

September 6,  2015