Respect for the Office of the President

I am appalled by the letter sent to the Iranian Government by Republican members of the United States Senate debasing the negotiations of the Obama administration for a reduction in sanctions against Iran and in favor of a nuclear freeze. It is noteworthy that the letter was composed by a freshman Senator from Arkansas rather than a veteran Senator from California, New York or even Texas. The letter presented as a civics lesson in the constitutional organization of our Government is replete with veiled threats about how the agreement could be revoked since, in their words, it is nothing more than “an executive agreement”.

The action is offensive and likely has no precedence in the history of our beloved Country. It is disrespectful to the office of the President and may cause irreparable harm to future President's. It violates a code of behavior expected of United States Senators, perhaps undocumented but surely expected. In the end, we all, especially Senators, pledge allegiance as one nation, indivisible and this act by these Republican Senators may very well be a violation of that pledge. If we cannot trust our Senators to live up to an unwritten code, perhaps it is time to canonize a code of ethics which includes respect for the “Office of the President”.