Commentary: Stick to actions, not words, Sen. Cotton

LetteR writing isn’t the junior senator’s strong suit

I'm not a hero, a Harvard graduate, a lawyer or someone who ever got elected to anything. I'm just a guy who writes stuff for a living.

In all my years I never -- never -- started anything I wrote with anything like: "It looks like you, my intended audience, may not fully understand what you're doing."

Suppose I started this column that way. You know the only people who would read it? Those who wanted to gleefully tear apart everything wrong with it as deserved punishment for my arrogance.

Now, consider the first sentence of the letter written by U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, to Iran's government. The letter was signed by 46 other GOP senators:

"It has come to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution -- the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices -- which you should seriously consider as negotiations progress."

I respect Cotton, especially for his combat service. I'll even admit that I like Cotton. I'd like him and respect him a lot more if he didn't talk to everyone else like they just got off the pumpkin truck.

He's writing to the leaders of Persia. That country's leaders learned they need to know their enemies a long time ago. It is simply beyond belief they are unaware of the basic function of the U.S. Senate in treaty ratification. Implying that they don't is an insult. It's also the first solid clue they aren't the real intended audience. I'll get back to that. First, a relevant story:

Iran's history includes centuries-long conflicts with the Roman Empire. One Roman emperor wound up a slave, forced to bend over as a stepping stool every time the king of Persia got on his horse. When the poor man finally died, the king had him skinned and stuffed with straw.

The first step along the path to that Roman emperor's sorry end was arrogant underestimation of his enemy.

The senator's letter gives a civics lecture that wouldn't be out of place in a sixth-grade classroom. It then concludes: "We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress."

There are few things in this world I can imagine that do less good than patronizing Iranians.

Now, somebody may say what a terrible, awful, very bad thing Iran's nuclear weapons program is and how our president needs some starch. Hey, I agree with you. It's a bad situation. So skip the red lights and sirens to warn me of something I already know. Tell me how Cotton's letter makes anything better.

And while you're at it, convince me that if President Obama negotiated himself a triumph with the ayatollah led through the streets of Washington, D.C., in chains, this group of senators wouldn't find something wrong with the deal.

This letter isn't meant for Iran. It's red meat to the conservative political base. "Hey, yeah, we GOP senators just caved on immigration, but we still matter and will protect you from those awful Iranians." I'll go so far as to say Cotton's a true believer. He probably does see himself as an actor on the world stage. But others who signed that letter and the Senate leaders who allowed it knew better.

Shifting subjects, note that today's column is not about the hottest topic in Northwest Arkansas today. That's because I'm still reporting on the adoption case of Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, in news stories.

The Harris family adopted two little girls. Later, they let another family have them. The father of that second family then sexually abused one of the girls. Those facts are known.

There are serious allegations and counter-allegations of who's to blame for this and what led up to it. I'm not forming -- much less writing -- detailed opinions until I've sorted through more facts. Right now, my general impression is that just about every responsible adult these girls ever met up to mid-March of last year made at least one seriously wrong call. At least the clear winner in the blame category is currently serving a 40-year sentence for sexual assault.

Doug Thompson is a political reporter and columnist for the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Email him at [email protected].

NW News on 03/14/2015

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