Jon Stewart recalls that Reagan signed an executive agreement with Iran, too

Jon Stewart has a history lesson for Senate Republicans — (Image credit: The Daily Show)

The invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to trash Iran in a speech to Congress "was widely seen as a disrespectful gesture by House Republicans to a sitting president," Jon Stewart said on Tuesday night's Daily Show. "So naturally, Senate Republicans wanted in as well." He is referring, of course, to the letter from 47 GOP senators to Iran's leaders, warning them that a nuclear deal with Obama would be shaky and non-binding because it is an executive agreement not ratified by Congress.

Is that common? Stewart asked. Yes. In fact, he added, "Ronald Reagan, peace be upon him, signed over 1,500 executive agreements, including a nuclear deal with China and a hostage deal with — oh, how do I pronounce this? — Iran." But while "it's pretty clear the president is well within his constitutional prerogative" in these negotiations, Stewart sighed, "congressional subversion vis-à-vis foreign policy" isn't really all that new, either.

To make Stewart's point, The Daily Show crew but together a video roundup of liberals criticizing this new Senate GOP letter and, in 2007, praising then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria against then–President George W. Bush's wishes — and conservatives criticizing Pelosi in 2007 and praising the Senate GOP now. Still, Stewart said, "the real takeaway from this seems to be: No matter how evil our president or our Congress believes Iran to be, they would each rather deal with the ayatollah than each other." Sure, something like that. —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.