obama http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/ken-walshs-washington/2015/08/06/obamas-iran-speech-ruffles-feathersfiery speech urging support for his nuclear deal with Iran is causing a backlash. Obama used some of his toughest rhetoric Wednesday in criticizing opponents of the agreement, which is being considered by Congress. "Let's not mince words:
The choice we face is ultimately between diplomacy and some sort of war – maybe not tomorrow, maybe not three months from now, but soon," Obama told a crowd at American University in Washington. In a passage that was particularly harsh, Obama said extremists in Iran who chant "Death to America" were "making common cause with the Republican caucus,"
"These Democrats and Republicans deserved serious answers today, not some outrageous attempt to equate their search for answers with supporting chants of 'Death to America,'" said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. McConnell said Democrats who are opposed to the deal, in defiance of Obama, would be "especially insulted" by Obama's comments. \
"This goes way over the line of civil discourse," McConnell told reporters. [READ: Bill Nelson, Key Senate Swing Vote, Backs Iran Deal] Aaron David Miller, a Middle East specialist at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, told The New York Times, "There is a real danger here for him [Obama] in overselling" the agreement. The deal, negotiated between Iran and the United States and five U.S.
allies during the course of many months, is designed to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons in return for lifting a range of economic sanctions. Critics say Iran can't be trusted to honor the deal and would use money freed up by lifting sanctions to support terrorism. [VIDEO: President Obama Pitches Iran Deal to Veterans] But Obama also said opponents of the deal are "many of the same people who argued for the war in Iraq," which many Americans now believe was a mistake.
Obama sees the agreement as a big part of his legacy as a peacemaker, and he is fighting hard to win public and congressional approval for it. The latest CBS News poll finds that nearly half of Americans say they don't know enough about the agreement to have an opinion. Among those with an opinion, 33 percent disapprove and 20 percent approve. Republicans are particularly critical.
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