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Friends,

We had some fun with the Top Ten, but the humor worked because it had more than an element of truth. The Republican Party is home to 147 insurrectionist members of the House and Senate who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election hours after a violent mob incited by Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

It's the rank and file too--Laura Thornton reports that "71 percent of Republicans believe Biden’s victory was illegitimate." The GOP is unworthy of support from any American who is willing to answer Benjamin Franklin's "a republic--if you can keep it" in the affirmative.

That's not all. Sixty-three Republicans voted against a resolution supporting the founding democratic principles of NATO. Ten Republicans signed on to a bill that would prohibit military or security assistance to Ukraine until a border wall with Mexico is completed (Steve Benen has more on the Putin wing of the GOP). Republicans don't think we should negotiate with Iran because Iran is our enemy, as if we should only negotiate arms control agreements with our friends, like Britain and France. Their agenda consists mainly of tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate deregulation, but even with vote suppression and gerrymandering, votes from the 1% that benefits from their policies aren't enough to deliver victory, so they run the Steve Bannon playbook and flood the zone with shit.

They fight about Dr. Seuss, and Mickey Mouse. They make stuff up about Critical Race Theory. They demonize the LGBTQ+ community with oppressive heterosexist messaging, even targeting children who don't fit their narrow perception of who they should be. And they gin up their base against Blacks, Jews, Asians, women, and anyone else who seems different from them. This is all unique to the Republican Party; there is no meaningful equivalent on the Democratic side.

We need a principled conservative party to call out the excesses of the left and hold the Democratic Party accountable. We do not help ourselves by pretending we have one. We should call out the GOP for what it is, and if you want to know how, watch Mallory McMorrow and Ian Mackey

AIPAC has now endorsed 109 insurrectionists. AIPAC backed 37 insurrectionists in its first wave of endorsements. Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, described AIPAC's endorsement of politicians who “undermine democracy” as “morally bankrupt and short-sighted." Tom Dine, executive director of AIPAC from 1980-1993, said AIPAC's efforts to defend its endorsements with “no apologies” are “bullshit." Laura Adkins wrote that "I cannot support AIPAC’s decision to endorse candidates that undermine the strength of the only country I’ve ever called home...I understand that AIPAC is an organization single-mindedly committed to the U.S.-Israel relationship. But without a strong and vibrant democracy in the United States, there is no U.S.-Israel relationship to defend."

JDCA CEO Halie Soifer wrote that "AIPAC’s decision to play a zero-sum game with America’s democracy and support of Israel suggests it should either get out of electoral politics or immediately rescind its endorsement of insurrectionists and right-wing extremists who endanger the security and values of Americans, and especially American Jews."

But on Wednesday, AIPAC rolled out its second round of endorsements, bringing the total number of insurrectionists it endorsed to 109. AIPAC answered Benjamin Franklin in the negative by endorsing candidates who undermined our democracy. AIPAC has only 38 insurrectionists left to endorse. What are they waiting for?

If AIPAC's "single issue" forces them to support enemies of American democracy then they need to re-define their issue. AIPAC is not practicing bipartisanship. By normalizing what should never be normal or acceptable, by endorsing Republicans who attempted to overturn a free and fair election, AIPAC is giving the GOP its hechsher. That's the epitome of partisanship and it helps neither Israel nor America.

None of the 109 insurrectionists AIPAC endorsed are needed to form a strong majority in Congress that supports Israel. The Democratic Party overwhelmingly supports Israel. The votes in Congress prove it. Democrats fast-tracked Iron Dome by calling a special, stand-alone vote on September 23. The bill would have passed even if every insurrectionist had voted against it. It took six months to reach Biden's desk because Republican leadership slow-tracked it by allowing Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to block it in the Senate.

A strong majority in Congress supports both Israel and American democracy. Let's strengthen that majority instead of supporting those who tried to tear down our democracy. If AIPAC feels the need to endorse Republicans, they should endorse only Republicans who did not vote against certifying the 2020 election. They can find some if they look hard enough. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) comes to mind.

The Iran Deal is Israel's only way to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Says who? Says Yair Golan, a former Deputy IDF Chief of Staff who is currently Israel’s Deputy Minister of Economics and Industry, and

Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli Deputy National Security Advisor. They write that while Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) "is undoubtedly an abhorrent organization, with the blood of numerous Americans, Israelis and others on its hands," lifting Trump's Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation on the FTC would have "essentially no practical consequences."

Symbolism matters, and it does and should hit us in the gut to remove the FTO desigati0n on an organization we know engages in terrorism. But Golan and Freilich argue that "symbolism is important in life and may even be the reason that Iran insisted on this final American concession to begin with. To be blunt, however, Israel has bigger fish to fry and we simply do not have the luxury of wasting time on optics, distasteful though they may be."

They also explain that "most of the original JCPOA’s limitations on Iran’s nuclear capabilities do not expire in two years, however, but in 2031, and important inspections capabilities remain in place in perpetuity. Admittedly, 2031 is not that far off and time has a way of passing rapidly, especially when one is having fun. It is a significant period, nevertheless, and should be used to put a long-term strategy to contain Iran in place."

This is the article to read if you think we have better options than returning to the JCPOA: Golan and Freilich detail why sanctions, covert operations and sabotage, regime change, and military action are not feasible alternatives.

But what about Russia? Akshai Vikram and Sam M. Hickey explain that "Russia's ancillary role in the deal is a small price to pay to ensure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon." Our European allies, not Russia, are the intermediaries in negotiations. Russia would not benefit from its custodianship of Iranian uranium. The bottom line: "A renewed nuclear deal will not help Russia at the expense of the US. It would simply help the US — by ensuring Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."

What about Iran's other malign activities? Steve Chapman writes that "Another criticism of the accord was that it didn't keep Iran from supporting terrorist groups or testing new missiles. But that's like our cancer patient spurning cancer treatment because it wouldn't cure his arthritis or his migraines. Solving one problem is not as good as solving multiple problems, but it beats solving none." Returning to the JCPOA is a necessary first step because those other problems will be harder to solve if Iran is protected by a nuclear umbrella.

On Thursday, a group of more than 40 former government officials and leading nuclear nonproliferation experts issued a joint statement expressing strong support for an agreement that returns Iran and the United States to compliance with the JCPOA.

Michael Cohen stole my Top Ten. Yes, that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer. On April 10, a few hours after sending my newsletter, I posted the Top Ten as a Twitter thread. On April 17, Michael Cohen cut and pasted the thread and reposted it as his own, minus the links to my newsletter. I objected, Cohen apologized, and then Ellen Barkin called him out. Cohen then denied stealing it, but Elayne Boosler set the record straight. Cohen never fixed it, although he did concede my comedic brilliance. Who says spending time on Twitter isn't productive?

Last week's newsletter.

ICYMI. Use and Abuse of the Temple Mount.

Tweets of the Week. Halie Soifer, Jason Sparks and Bess Kalb.

Video Clip of the Week. Judge Kathryn Mizelle via Chelsea Pope.

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