It must just really frost Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that Barack Obama is president and he isn't. After all, Graham's so much smarter and war happy and, dammit, people like him.
Graham has decided to own his newfound power as chair of a big Senate subcommittee by threatening to choke United Nations funding dry if the body serves as a force for good in reducing Iran's nuclear threat. Ben Kamisar has the details on Graham's threat:
“If they go to the UN Security council, and the UN Security council lifts all sanctions before we ever get a chance to look at this deal, absolutely I would suspend funding the United Nations, because I don't think your money should go to an organization that irresponsible.”
Graham is the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs. The United States sent the United Nations $654 million for 2015.
How quickly the United Nations agrees to lift its sanctions following Iran's cooperation on reducing its nuclear capabilities is a
critical point of contention in the negotiations. Iran wants immediate action; the United States wants to make certain that Iran is keeping its end of the bargain before lifting sanctions. But nothing will satisfy Lindsey Graham until he puts his own stamp of approval on the deal. After all, he might run for president himself so he doesn't have to bother with all these legislative hurdles in order to run the world.
“I'm not going to allow the United Nations to be used as a way to get around the United States Congress for a deal that affects the very existence of Israel and our own national security,” he said.
“The worst possible outcome is for Iran to get a nuclear weapon."
Cuz no one's ever had that thought before.