The Patriot Post® · Lifting Sanctions Without Congress

How far will Barack Obama go to avoid war? After all, about his Iran deal he told us last week, “[L]et’s not mince words: The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy or some form of war.” Surely, though, he wouldn’t go so far as to act without Congress. Scratch that. Back in 2011, he said, “I’ve told my administration to keep looking every single day for actions we can take without Congress.” The Iran deal might be one of those opportunities. According to Politico, “Obama has broad powers to act alone — even against the will of Congress — say experts and former administration officials familiar with internal deliberations. Using his executive branch authority, Obama could effectively halt many U.S. sanctions on Iran, they say, in a bid to persuade Tehran to meet its end of the bargain.” He’s already let it be known that powerful New York Democrat Chuck Schumer’s opposition to the deal is unacceptable. So why not start lifting or otherwise doing away with sanctions? Some were indeed executive sanctions, but others were passed by Congress. The bottom line: This disastrous deal is about Obama’s legacy, and he’s not going to allow something as quaint and constitutional as congressional authority get in his way.