White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest doubled down on President Obama’s Wednesday remarks, saying, “No doubt they [GOP and Iranian hardliners] are making the same argument,” on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Thursday.
Earnest further blasted away on critics of the deal saying, “It is either that agreement or it is without doubt, military conflict in the Middle East.”
Josh Earnest: I want to go back to the thing you said earlier which is the president’s approach to this agreement and the way he is describing it now. The fact is you cited the experience of other presidents that tried to engage our adversaries, to use diplomacy to advance our interests. That is the decision for a president to make. And that is the decision that this president made. Congress faces a different one. The question before Congress right now is not whether the deal can be different, the question before Congress right now is, ‘Do you accept the agreement that has been reached by the United States and the rest of the international community with Iran or are you going to undermine it?’ And that choice is very clear and it is very clear in the mind of the president and it should be very clear for every member of Congress because it is either that agreement or it is without doubt, military conflict in the Middle East. And that is why the president paints this in such stark terms. Because the decision facing the president is different than the decision facing members of Congress.