Sen. Sullivan, you should have known better

This past Monday was a stunner. Not as in a stunning beauty, or as in stunning intelligence. Far from it. Indeed, far from anything resembling intelligence. Stunning as in spectacularly stupid. I did a double take reading the articles that this spawned. OK, I'm getting ahead of myself, lets start at the beginning.

An "open letter" was sent to the government of Iran signed by 47 republican U.S. Senators on March 9. The misguided missive warned the Iranians about making any deal with President Barack Obama. Because anything worked out by his administration maybe written off by the next president to come into office or by Congress.

Excuse me? They did what? These were some of my first thoughts. Followed by a string of my best Army cussing. I am angry, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this. Just what in the seven levels of Hades were they thinking?

In fact I know for a fact I'm not the only American ticked off about this. The White House is mad about it. Secretary of State John Kerry is in utter disbelief. Obviously, the Democrats are, too. Quite a few everyday Americans are more than just angry about this letter that was plainly an end run around the State Department and the White House, which are deep into negotiations with Iran. This lousy stunt may lob a monkey wrench into the whole process.

The word treason is being tossed around on the media. Also the Logan Act, a law dating back to 1799. A law designed to keep "unauthorized citizens" from negotiations with foreign governments. According to the "We the people" petition page on the White House's website, there is a petition going around charging the 47 senators with violating the Logan Act and treason. So far it has more than 240,000 signatures. Stunning as it sounds chances are nothing will done about it. The act was invoked in name only during Jane Fonda's infamous trip to North Vietnam in the middle of the Vietnam War. Nothing was done about it. To many Vietnam veterans that was clearly treason and they still believe she should be in prison today. I can't say I blame them.

Other notables were Sen. Nancy Pelosi, Sen. George McGovern, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and even President Richard Nixon. The last time anyone was really indicted of violating the Logan Act was a Kentucky farmer in 1803, but the charges were never pursued. (He wrote an article in a local paper.) One wonders who he ticked off.

Still I do support the notion of giving those 47 senators a severe chewing out and maybe some kind of fines dished out to teach them a lesson. Followed by a very public apology. It was a stupid freshman senator stunt that borders on just being plain dumb. Treason? I'll leave that to the legal beagles. It sure does smack of it and that is what got so many incensed. At the very least what they did was illegal in my book.

This was the brainchild of Senator Tom Cotton (R) of Arkansas. I say brainchild loosely because little or no brains were used dreaming this up. And then he roped in 46 other senators to sign it, too, including another freshman senator. Alaska’s very own Dan Sullivan. Thankfully Sen. Lisa Murkowski didn't fall for this stunt. Maybe we can chalk that up to the experience of veteran senator verses that of a rookie.

I know many people do not like anything about President Obama. There are times I'm not too thrilled either. But, in my opinion, sending a letter to what many consider an enemy of the United States — including every one of those 47 senators — to undermine negotiations with that government crosses the line. It defies logic, it defies reason and it defies the ethical behavior a serving U.S. Senator should display no matter what his or her feelings are about the Commander and Chief of this nation.

Senator Sullivan, sir with all due respect you should have known better being a Marine veteran.

It makes us look like fools in eyes the Iranians who laughed it off as propaganda. Not good fellas, not good.

Wasilla resident Daniel D. Grota retired from the U.S. Army after more than 21 years of service.