Just as there are hardliners in the Iranian government who oppose making a deal with the United States, there are hardliners in the United States who oppose making a deal with the United States.
A group of 47 Republican senators have signed a letter addressed to Iranian leadership warning them not to sign a deal with the Obama administration because it could be repealed in the future.
Organized by freshman Senator Tom Cotton and signed by the chamber's entire party leadership as well as potential 2016 presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, the letter is meant not just to discourage the Iranian regime from signing a deal but also to pressure the White House into giving Congress some authority over the process.
While I would not throw out the term lightly, I'd say this is dangerously close to treason.
In the letter signed by the likes of Rubio and Paul, the GOP senators warn Iranian leadership that a future president or Congress could alter the terms of the deal under our "constitutional system" which, from my perspective, is tantamount to telegraphing the inherent weakness of our system at a time like this. It is more or less an expression of their willingness to abuse our system of government for political purposes.
If the Republican party successfully thwarts a compromise, the possibility that Iran could produce nuclear weapons will increase.
Is that what they want?
There is every indication that the Republican party and its resurgent neo-cons, who can now count Rand Paul among their ranks, want an excuse to bomb Iran. They're afraid that the Obama administration may permanently close the door on the possibility of waging the war the Republican party never got to wage.
As an aside, Rand Paul has effectively marginalized himself better than any of his political opponents could have.