Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

The revolution will be supervised.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

Come on, man.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

In my day, never was longer.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

You can’t love your country only when you win.

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / Black Jimmy Carter / Good News from Iran (for at Least Four Americans)

Good News from Iran (for at Least Four Americans)

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Thanks, Obama! (and Secretary Kerry, too; not to mention his predecessor Hillary Rodham Clinton… )

Jessica Shulberg, at the Huffington Post:

VIENNA, Austria — Four American citizens, including a Washington Post reporter, were released from Iranian prisons on Saturday and are set to board a Swiss aircraft from Tehran to an as-yet-undetermined location, where they will be freed as part of a prisoner release deal between the U.S. and Iran. The agreement is the result of 14 months of high-stakes secret negotiations between the two traditional adversaries.

The deal comes on the same day that the International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report confirming Iran’s compliance with the July 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran, the U.S. and five world powers — a move that triggered broad sanctions relief. As part of the prisoner exchange, the U.S. will release seven Iranians who were being held in the country on sanctions violations. All were born in Iran, but six are dual Iranian-American citizens. The seven men all have the option to remain in the U.S.

Administration officials insist it’s a coincidence that the prisoners’ release happened on the same day as implementation of the nuclear deal…

The Washington Post has much more detail, including live updates and bios of the four Americans being released.


Buzzfeed explains “Iran’s Hardliners Used The Release Of U.S. Prisoners As A Reminder Of Who’s In Charge”:

… The Fars News Agency, a semi-official organ considered close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, announced that Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-Americans would be released from prison and allowed to leave the country, following up with news of a historic prisoner exchange with the U.S.

Word of their impending release quickly dominated the airwaves, eclipsing even Saturday’s implementation of the nuclear deal hammered out over nearly a decade.

The images of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif shaking hands quickly during their moment of triumph — the day of implementing the crowning achievement of both their diplomatic careers — stopped airing. They became quickly overtaken by photographs of Rezaian and word of the Obama administration’s deal to exchange him and others with seven convicted Iranians locked up in U.S. prisons.

Zarif and his patron, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, have struggled for months to improve Iran’s image in the world and bring home $100 billion in sanctions relief. They strive to tout successes for their reformist and moderate allies ahead of closely watched February 26 elections for parliament and the Assembly of Experts, which chooses the successor to the country’s ultimate authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

But each step of the way they have been stymied by hardliners within Iran’s political elite seeking to steal their thunder. It’s almost as if hardliners are trolling or mocking Rouhani and Zarif…

Yes, of course our own American hardliners are shrieking and throwing things… because some things are universal to the human condition. Including, praise Loki, snark:

Reader Interactions

79Comments

  1. 1.

    jl

    Just means that the betrayal of the US by the feckless and weak, but diabolical super genius traitor-fiend and ruthlessly efficient tyrant Obama is even more opaque and inscrutable than we understood before. Probably, his time machine is involved. We are doomed.

    Edit: I’ll be offline for awhile spitting and howling in rage. May kick a dog, if I find a small one.

  5. 5.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Josh Greenman has captured the narratives, perfectly.

    As long as the President is blah, or a woman, the notion that politics stops at the water’s edge is inoperable.

    Our hardliners and the Iranian hardliners are two sides of the same coin. Theofascist and militarist.

  7. 7.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Richard M. Nixon thinks that Hillary (and presumably Obama) are making a big mistake in pushing for sanctions on the missile program now.

    It’s impossible to exaggerate how stupid this is.

    I don’t see it that way, at least not at the moment. Iran’s missile program is of concern and they need to hold to their agreements there, also too.

    But it’s a reminder that even with the nuclear deal, there are a zillion ways (and a zillion players) who want to break the thawing of relations with Iran.

    Let’s be happy about the recent good news, but let’s not get complacent.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  9. 9.

    jl

    feckless: ineffective; incompetent; futile, having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy.

    They wingers may be getting the meanings of their Obama nomenclature confused. He is both an pathetic inadequate black man, and a ruthlessly efficient and clever implacable tyrant. It is very difficult to keep it all straight, even in their fantasy world.

  10. 10.

    Thoughtful Today

    But wait!

    Right-wingers told me Iran was our “enemy”!

    Clearly this is an alternate Universe’s timeline!

  11. 11.

    schrodinger's cat

    BTW I made a sea-food stew with lobster, mussels and shrimp. I made the masalas that went in to it from scratch, plus used home-made stock. It was full of win and awesome! I am pleased with myself.

  15. 15.

    jl

    @I’mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet: Both with Clinton and Obama, it is difficult to parse out what is for domestic consumption and what is real stance towards Iran. The GOP reaction will be to throw spaghetti, shit and mud on the wall until something sticks, won’t care whether it makes a lick of sense.

    Exhibit:

    GOP presidential candidates say Iran prisoner swap makes U.S. look weak
    http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-iran-prisoner-swap-republican-reaction-20160116-story.html

    Funny, that is not the same argument they were making back when the Iran deal was first completed and Iran still had the prisoners. Then, not getting them back made us patsies, and weak.

  17. 17.

    jl

    @Baud:

    ” It’s OK. We still have an opportunity to mess this up in November. ”

    WTF, is that your new campaign slogan?

    Worse campaigner than Jeb?. It is a miracle that you are a shoe-in for prez.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    @jl:

    I’m congested. Not feeling very presidential right now.

    I plan to make extensive use of the 25th Amendment.

  19. 19.

    raven

    At 3pm tomorrow I’m scheduled to do the Frozen Gnome Plunge in the outdoor pool at the Y. It’s a fundraised and I actually paid $35 to do it!

  20. 20.

    jl

    @Baud: Just make sure you have some hot babes lined up to take turns while you are busy shirking. Gotta get them to campaign with you. You will need the Trump vote.

  23. 23.

    Mnemosyne

    @jl:

    Funny, that is not the same argument they were making back when the Iran deal was first completed and Iran still had the prisoners. Then, not getting them back made us patsies, and weak.

    That’s the beauty of being a right winger — absolutely no requirement to be consistent. You can argue that the exact same action has two diametrically opposed meanings and no one in the MSM will ever call you on it.

  25. 25.

    raven

    @efgoldman: Yea, I don’t think it will be that bad. It’ll be about 50 and the water probably won’t be a lot colder than it is on my surf fishing trips. Nothing like the up north stuff for sure.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    The ocean really isn’t that cold till you can see ice forming in it. Salt water freezing is fucking cold. Also that when you fall in you will die in less than a minute without a survival suit. Which we didn’t have in the North Atlantic above the Arctic Circle, in the winter, while refueling at sea. IOW you will be dead long before they can turn the ship around to try to find you so it turns out it’s a recovery rather than a rescue. They were nice enough to tell us the best thing that could happen is that if you are lucky the propeller chews you up in less time than it takes to freeze.

  39. 39.

    Poopyman

    @Trentrunner: Yes! But I thoroughly endorse this comment on the Politico tweet:

    Em H Zed ‏@emhzed 7m7 minutes ago
    @politico After listening to his nonsense, I was able to have a bowel movement,ending three days of constipation proving Trump is a laxative

  42. 42.

    raven

    @Ruckus: Wait, you mean Lenny couldn’t swim around underwater when the Titanic got flooded by North Atlantic sea water? Nest thing you’ll tell me is that he couldn’t fly down a icy mountain river for 15 minutes and then lay in the bank in the snow?

  44. 44.

    Poopyman

    @Ruckus: ?? I’ve heard that freezing isn’t so bad, all things considered. Better than being chewed up by a prop, surely.

  47. 47.

    Trentrunner

    OT: This NY Times article on Hillary’s, um, feckless campaign so far is bringing back all my 2007-8 Hillary PTSD…

    Sheesh, I wish Bernie were 15 years younger. And I REALLY wish Warren were running.

  49. 49.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    He could swim around. For a very short while.
    Well if he’s going down a mountain stream than sure he could stay in the water for 15 minutes. Might not be able to climb out at the end, or do any thing else ever again but if he managed to get thrown on the snow bank sure he could lay there. Till someone came along and picked up his body. But it’s the movies, many stranger things have happened which makes real life seem, well dull.

  51. 51.

    Trentrunner

    @Baud: Well, you could also believe your own lying eyes:

    Do you think Hillary & Co REALLY expected Bernie to be this strong?

    Was it REALLY smart of Hillary & Co to limit and bury the Dem debates?

    Do you REALLY think there’s a qualitative difference between what Bill Clinton has done to women and Bill Cosby has done?

    Are you REALLY sure that The Clinton Foundations’ shenanigans can withstand a general election vetting?

    And can you REALLY explain this?:http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/clinton-surrogate-to-demand-sanders-release-medical-records-217880

  53. 53.

    Citizen Scientist

    Really glad to hear that Jason Rezaian was one of the four Americans released. I wonder if he and his wife will stay in Iran for the immediate future?

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @efgoldman:
    Yeah I wasn’t so enthused about the possibility my own self. I have been swimming in a stream in the Serra range in very early summer 66 or 67 but that ran right over a hot spring. Get out of the hot part and it was real fucking cold. Obviously not cold enough to cause me to die, unless this is all a nightmare. Same place they filmed the True Grit cabin scene early in the movie but this was 2-3 yrs before that.

  59. 59.

    Ruckus

    @raven:
    Favorite Wayne movie?

    Mine is the Cowboys. Second is The Shootist.
    I think both appeal to me because they showed him to actually be human and I can’t think of any other roles that showed him to be anything other than larger than life.

  61. 61.

    Zinsky

    This development must really piss off the knuckle-draggers on the right, because the failure to free these hostages was their main argument for not signing the Iran nuclear deal. I’m sure they will find another lameass reason.

    It must feel terrible to be wrong so often….

  66. 66.

    raven

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Hey, did you see my question about the Blue House Raid trail?

    “On January 21, 1968, thirty-one North Korean commandos advanced southward through the Bugaksan mountain forest. Their mission was to storm the Blue House and assassinate President Park Chunghee and other government officials. Along the way, however, the commandos came upon a pol ice inspection point, and a firefight broke out before the commandos fled into the hills. Jongno Police Chief Choi Gyu-sik, who led the inspection, was killed in the battle. A bronze statue memorializing Choi’s bravery stands in Buam-dong, near the Changuimun Gate.
    With the aid of American forces, South Korean soldiers and police conducted a massive manhunt over the following days. In total, sixty-eight South Korean and three American soldiers died. A vivid monument to the event is Hogyeong rock—located along Trail No. 2—where several bullet holes remind visitors of the intense fighting that occurred. Of the 31 North Koreans, 29 were killed, one was unaccounted for, and one was captured; he is Kim Shin-jo—the person for whom the trails are named. After a year’s interrogation, Kim became a South Korean citizen in 1970 and eventually joined the ministry.”

  67. 67.

    Ruckus

    @Zinsky:
    If only they were self aware enough to understand right and wrong. Or reality. But then their entire collection of political concepts would crumble into dust.

  68. 68.

    Ruckus

    @Zinsky:
    BTW I awarded you the internets for you description of the entire conservative ideology. The phrase degenerate fetish fits perfectly.

  69. 69.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @raven: Yes but long after you wrote it, remember I’m nocturnal. I’ve heard of the trail, but never hiked it(I’ve only recently got back into hiking). I know it wasn’t open when we went to Seoul in 89, and I’m not sure it was open the last time we went in 1998.

    ETA: The Blue House raid was on my 8th b-day.

  72. 72.

    raven

    @Ruckus: Here I am in the dugout, you decide.

    Actually the name was lifted from “My Back Pages”

    Crimson flames tied through my ears, rollin’ high and mighty traps
    Pounced with fire on flaming roads using ideas as my maps
    “We’ll meet on edges, soon,” said I, proud ‘neath heated brow
    Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now

  73. 73.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @raven: Seoul was a very different city from when we went in 89 and when we went in 98, though we also went in 92 and it was a bit different then. They had air raid drills and tank traps at the city entrances in 89 and didn’t see either in 98.

    ETA: “Changuimun Gate”, this is funny cause you said Changui gate gate; mun is gate in Korean.

  77. 77.

    Patricia Kayden

    Yay! And kudos to President Obama and Secretary Kerry. We sleep well at night knowing adults are running things versus the warmongers on the other side.

  79. 79.

    rachel

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Seoul changes every week. One day I’m walking down the street and the place I buy X is in business as usual. The next day it’s gone, and the day after that there’s a hole in the ground. A new building opens few months later; the more months further on, the taller it is.

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