The Iran hostages should have been home a long time ago!

Several Republican presidential candidates criticized the Obama administration's decision to swap seven Iranian prisoners for The Washington Post's reporter Jason Rezaian and three other Americans on Saturday and I think they were right in doing so. We are all happy to have the hostages released, but I do not think negotiating with a terrorist country was the way to go about it. Their release should have been unconditional because they were not guilty of any international crime.

Our hostages were released from Iranian custody in exchange for seven Iranians who were in prison for crimes they committed and it does not matter to me if their crimes were violent or not. This exchange further proves that Iran is no friend to the U.S. or its allies and Iran continues to get the upper hand in negotiations with the Obama Administration. Obama should not have been in negotiation with Iran to get a nuclear deal while Iran held innocent American hostages.

It is not true that the hostage release had nothing to do with the private nuclear deal because Iran warned Obama in December if additional sanctions were enforced against Iran the hostage swap was off and the nuclear deal was in trouble. Obama immediately from his vacation in Hawaii began the process to delay any announcement of further sanction against Iran. 

Even Hillary Clinton believes the Obama administration should not have thanked Iran for releasing the prisoners (hostages) or for following through on its obligations. Hillary said, “These prisoners (hostages) were held unjustly by a regime that continues to threaten the peace and security of the Middle East.”

The other two Democrat candidates, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “The exchange represented progress in relations between Washington and Tehran.” I guess if you call U.S. weakness progress then we have made great advances during the Obama administration.

Even though I am now a Republican I do not think it is fair for Republican candidates to give all or any credit to President Reagan for the release of American hostages when he was sworn in as President of the United States. I think Iran had tired of the issue and President Carter’s administration had laid all the groundwork for the release of the hostages. I will never believe Iran released the 52 hostages because they feared Reagan being elected. I do not think Iran was even fully aware of who Reagan was or what he stood for at the time. Iran then and now released the hostages because they thought it was in their best interest to do so and fear had nothing to do with it. Iran contacted President Carter in September of 1980 with a proposal to release the hostages. I rather think Iran thought they could deal with the next administration better if they changed the tone of the hostage situation.  

Then as now Iran was given money to release the hostages. The agreement that led to the release involved $11 billion to $12 billion ($36 billion in 2015) in Iranian assets that Carter had frozen 10 days after the seizure of the U.S. embassy. The Iranians did fear having to start negotiations over with a new administration and believed that they had gotten most of the benefits they could from holding the hostages. I think the same is true today $150 billion dollars (the exact amount is disputed) in their hands is better than possibly getting nothing if a Republican is elected President. I do not think Iran has any intention of keeping the Obama nuclear deal. The release of hostages military and civilian was all about money and insulting the United States.  

I hope not, but I believe Iran will take more U.S. hostages in the near future. Hostages for Iran are like money in the bank – a bargaining chip for getting more concessions from the U.S. and the West. Let us not kid ourselves Iran releases hostages when it is in their best interest and only when it is in their best interest. When they have gotten all the propaganda mileage and concessions they think they can out of a hostage they grow tired of them and release them, but always take another hostage to start the negotiating process all over again.

The only way Iran or any rogue nation will come to the negotiation table and negotiate fairly is by force. The only force they understand is military force. You have to remove their ability to threaten other nations and keep them from ever having the ability to do so in the future. I think Germany and Japan are examples of that. If Japan or Germany would have been allowed to rebuild their military capabilities soon after the war they would have engaged in future nation building conflicts. National pride at any cost is still prominent among some people in both countries, a foolish pride, that is similar to the racist pride among some groups in America.

Obama announced Sunday following the hostages leaving Iran he will allow eleven companies to remain sanctioned from doing business with Iran and the response from Iran on Monday for his doing so should bring him comfort.  On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry responded that the, “Islamic Republic will respond to these aggravating and propagandistic measures (11 companies sanctioned) by pursuing its missile program stronger than ever before.” Obama did not keep his word not to add additional missile sanctions, in other words he lied to Iran, so how can we now complain about Iran not keeping their word to honor the private nuclear deal.

I must have missed something during the nearly last eight years because Obama said Sunday when speaking of the hostage release, “These things are a reminder of what we can achieve when we lead with strength and with wisdom, with courage and resolve and patience.” I have seen little strength, wisdom, courage or resolve coming from Washington in a long time. I guess I have seen a lot of patience because when you are weak you have no choice but be patient. Obama’s ‘red line’ remark to Syria’s President did not show much resolve or courage when he failed to follow through with his threat. His withdrawal of troops against the advice of his own military advisors did not demonstrate much wisdom in Iraq and Afghanistan. His bowing to the Saudi king showed weakness from the very start of his administration.

If the United States cannot stand up to Iran a country only slightly larger than Alaska how could it stand up to China? The failure of the U.S. to stand up to Iran for the past 37 years has been a failure on the part of both Democrat and Republican politicians. They must take the blame for the monster they created. 

Obama and Kerry insist that the private accord with Iran provides no room for its ruling clerics to cheat. I hope they are right! But if Obama lied to Iran about sanctions how do we know he is not lying to us about how secure we are. If they are wrong the world will certainly suffer.

Obama's negotiations did not get our Navy personnel released!

Iran's seizure of two U.S. naval ships and President Barack Obama's response show that Iran the country the president hoped would secure his foreign policy legacy has the ability to hold him hostage.

Obama didn’t mention the incident in the Persian Gulf during his State of the Union speech because Obama and his administration did not consider the boarding of the ships and the seizure of 10 U.S. sailors to be a "hostile act." Instead, the president praised Iran and the diplomatic agreement he had made with them in spite of the fact that the majority of Americans do not support his private deal with Iran.  

Even though Iran quickly released the 10 U.S. military personnel it still shows that despite a nuclear agreement with the West, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps is willing to board U.S. vessels, take American soldiers into custody, and, according to CNN confiscate the crew's communications and GPS equipment.

Secretary of State John Kerry’s call to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif is not evidence to me that relationships between the United States and Iran have improved. Iran was not influenced by John Kerry or Obama they did exactly what they wanted to do. Iran was looking to humiliate the United States and they did. The Iranian state press reported the sailors had been “arrested” for “snooping”. The Obama administration, as they did in during the Benghazi crisis, lied telling us the boats had malfunctioned. The two boats function the next day without any repairs being made to them.

If the Iranian government respected Obama or the United States it would not have taken several hours before the captured sailors were allowed to make contact with their superiors. If the Iranian government feared any retaliation from Obama and the United States they would have immediately called Washington and advised them what had happen and that they were working to resolve the problem. Instead the Iranian government did nothing until they had their humiliating videos and press releases in place.

The incident is just the latest in a series of Iranian provocations since agreeing to the private Obama nuclear deal in July. In late December, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels fired unguided missiles near the USS Truman; the U.S. did not retaliate. Also last month, Kerry wrote to the Iranian government to assure it the U.S. government would waive new visa restrictions passed by Congress, after Tehran objected. The U.S. indefinitely delayed imposing sanctions on Iran in response to its tests of ballistic missiles in violation of United Nations sanctions. The United States will remain hostage to Iran as long as Obama is in office.

Obama’s last State of the Union message was supposed to convey to the American people and the world that we are all safer and more secure because of Obama’s diplomatic achievements. Iran’s flaunting they could take two U.S. Navy vessels without any fear of retaliation did not make me feel safer or more secure.

To my friends in the Philippines if Obama will not stand up to Iran in defense of the United States do you honestly think he will stand up for you against China.

Iran released the U.S. Navy personnel because they knew the American people would revolt if Obama attempted to go ahead with the release of 150 billion dollars while our personnel was still being held hostage. Iran wanted the 150 billion dollars and to show Obama and the United States who is really in charge in the Middle East. They accomplished both!

The Obama’s administration's without knowing all the details immediately began to play down the incident and to seek accommodation with Tehran. That has been Obama’s approach to the Iran deal since its conception even though Iran has continued to escalates tensions with the U.S. and its allies.

Obama’s legacy in my opinion will be that of the first President in my lifetime that did not stand up for the rights of the United States. Iran knows that Obama is looking for the Iran deal to be his crowning legacy and they are playing him for a fool. Obama is in a no win situation and Iran knows that. Obama chose to go to the dance with Iran and as we say in the South, “You have to leave with the one that brought you.” Obama has no choice but stay in bed with Iran or see his legacy go down the toilet.

Something we hear little to nothing about in the media is the upcoming elections in Iran. Iran's parliament and powerful assembly of experts will choose Iran's next supreme leader within a month, which has the ultimate authority over Iran's nuclear program. With a stroke of a pen Obama’s Iran deal can be abolished and they will still have their 150 billion dollars to support more terrorism.

Once again we have been manipulated by our politicians and we have stood by passively as they have done it! Why have we allowed one man, Obama, to negotiate a private deal with a terrorist country that has for more than 35 years wanted to destroy us and our only middle east ally Israel? Will we, the American people, ever have the courage and the guts to take back our country from the Washington elite? 

Note: Iran says seizure of U.S. boats a lesson to ‘troublemakers’ in U.S. Congress,” Iran’s army chief Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Wednesday the seizure of two U.S. navy boats and their 10 sailors should be a lesson to members the U.S. Congress trying to impose new sanctions on Tehran. It is reported he went on to say some of the Navy personnel were so frightened they cried.