[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 175 (Wednesday, December 11, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H7630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GIVE DIPLOMACY A CHANCE TO SUCCEED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, in the rush to wrap up and go home, 
there is too much unfinished business, including leaving 2.15 million 
long-term unemployed in the lurch.
  But one item should not be on the agenda: an attempt to undermine the 
diplomatic breakthrough with Iran, the most encouraging development 
with that country in 34 years. We would give the hardliners in Iran who 
really hate the preliminary agreement an excuse to walk away. It would 
be a continuation of 60 years of mismanagement by the United States 
with our relationship with that proud nation with deep ties to America.
  The worst thing we did was team with the British to overthrow their 
democratically elected government in 1953 and replace most of that with 
the Shah, who for 25 years, was a repressive dictator.
  Few remember, if they ever knew, that the Iranians helped stabilize 
Afghanistan after we drove the Taliban from power. They don't know that 
the people in Tehran had candlelight vigils in sympathy to the United 
States after 9/11 where some of the supposed allies of the United 
States were celebrating our loss in the streets. For that, the Iranians 
were rewarded with the label of being part of the Axis of Evil.
  We must make diplomacy the key. We are not going to be able to bomb 
away the knowledge of how to develop nuclear weapons. Experts I have 
talked to say they could have made a nuclear bomb years ago if they had 
really been bent on that creation.
  Torpedoing the agreement will be counterproductive. It risks collapse 
of sanctions which depend on the Chinese, the Indians, and the Japanese 
not buying Iranian oil. If we appear unreasonable, we lose 
international support, and we can lose ground.
  It would undercut President Hassan Rouhani, elected by the Iranians 
who want change and a more moderate approach to the world. Iranians--
people who have been there and testify--actually like Americans. They 
don't much like the repressive government. But that support can help 
reach more than just a nuclear deal.
  Iran is key to solving the nightmare that is Syria, prying them back 
from supporting the insurgents in support for a long-term solution. 
Iran is key to holding Iraq together and not having it spin off into 
civil war and to defeat or at least contain the Taliban resurgents in 
Afghanistan.
  A recent poll showed 57 percent of the American public supports the 
agreement. When they are given greater detail about what it entails, 
that support increases to 63 percent.
  Don't undercut the best chance to reorder the Middle East in a third 
of a century. I think we ought to give diplomacy a chance to succeed 
for a change.

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