22 Questions

There are valid arguments to be made both for and against the Iran nuclear agreement, but it is sometimes hard to tell because the debate is too often being drowned out by an excess of political obfuscation.

Democrats are seriously split on the deal.  Many backers genuinely believe it is good for America, and some on the fence are leaning in favor out of loyalty to President Obama. And Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York), the anticipated next Democratic Senate leader, is playing his cars close to his proverbial vest while being heavily lobbied by both sides, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama.

There is no similar debate on the other side of the aisle. Republicans are marching in lockstep opposition, most having declared their vehement opposition long before they even knew what was in the agreement much less saw the actual documents.  That's a clear a sign that they are putting politics above all else and are dominated more by their animosity toward Barack Obama than by any other factor.

Concomitant with the reflexive antipathy toward Obama is cynical election politics and the desire to use Israel as a wedge issue in the 2016 campaign to side with Prime Minister Netanyahu and casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and paint Democrats as the anti-Israel in the hope of drawing deep pocketed Jewish contributors.

My Washington Watch column lays out 22 questions to ponder in making up your mind.