One week ago, in a New York Times op-ed entitled "Thanks, Obama," Maureen Dowd compared the idealistic Senator Barack Obama of 2008 with the president Barry has ultimately become. As stated on Dowd's columnist page, this opinion piece described how "The Audacity of Hope has downshifted to the Banality of Practicality.
Well not quite, unless you consider the funding of terrorism "banal."
What could prove a colossal scandal has recently arisen concerning a cash payment of $400 million to free four American prisoners held by Iran. Obama is claiming this was not a ransom payment (Hillary is calling it "old news"); however, Iran is claiming otherwise. Moreover, the prisoners were not freed by Iran until the unmarked plane with the cash landed in Tehran. As explained by Claudia Rosett in a PJ Media opinion piece entitled "The Mendacity Behind Obama's Mockery of the Cash-for-Iran Story":
"For a government, such as Iran's regime -- world's leading state sponsor of terrorism -- cash lends itself less to financing national infrastructure (the use to which the administration suggests it has likely been put) than to funding terrorists and pursuing illicit weapons. Whatever Iran's regime might be doing in the way of sewer and road repair, its demonstrated priorities include its continued testing of ballistic missiles, in violation of UN sanctions. The prime use of ballistic missiles is to carry nuclear warheads -- which suggests that Iran's likely intent is, at a moment of its choosing, to scrap Obama's vaunted Iran nuclear deal (on which Iran is already cheating). As far as that entails buying weapons and technology from, say, nuclear-testing North Korea, or procuring illicit inputs on world markets, hard cash is a big help.
Obama's justification for sending the $400 million installment in cash is that the U.S., due to its strict sanctions on Iran, has no banking relationship with the country -- thus the air-freighted pallets of banknotes. Except that doesn't add up. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey asks: 'How come the U.S. did not simply transfer the $400 million we are told actually belonged to Iran to a foreign entity, to be converted into foreign funds for conventional banking transmission to Tehran?'"
Yes, this is the "stuff" that could make for an impeachment hearing, notwithstanding the fact that Obama has only five more months to go in the Oval Office.
Today, in a Times op-ed entitled "Crazy About the Presidency," Dowd, at her best, pokes fun at Trump. I won't spoil it for you, but let's see if Donald continues to answer her phone calls.
No mention, however, by Dowd of Obama's $400 million ransom payment to Khamenei. Let's see if any of the Times's columnists are willing to touch this hot potato.
And then there is still the matter of CIA "consultant" Robert Levinson, who was left to rot in Iran by Obama. But heck, The Washington Post doesn't seem to care about someone who is not one of their own, as evidenced by the fact that Martin Baron and friends are no longer hounding Barry as they did regarding Jason Rezaian. Yup, out of sight out of mind.
