| Dear Indiana, House Speaker John Boehner secretly invited the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress on Iran and intentionally withheld information about the invitation from the White House. How did this happen? It starts with Ron Dermer, an American-born and raised Republican operative, who worked with GOP pollster Frank Luntz to craft Newt Gingrich's Contract With America, the political platform that led to Republican takeover of Congress in 1994.1 Dermer is now Israel's ambassador to the United States, and he recently colluded with Republican Speaker John Boehner to invite Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make an unprecedented speech before Congress. The purpose is to blast President Obama's diplomacy with Iran and promote Netanyahu just two weeks before Israel holds an election. And it's scheduled to happen in front of a joint session of Congress – without first clearing the visit with the White House!2 Tell Congressional Democrats: Support President Obama's diplomacy with Iran. Skip Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. Click here to sign the petition. Boehner and Dermer's end-run around the White House is a reckless attempt by right-wing extremists to undermine the president's foreign policy by pushing us toward an unnecessary with Iran, it is a major breach of diplomatic protocol,3 and it is a (possibly unconstitutional)4 encroachment on the president's authority to lead our foreign policy. Vice President Biden and several members of Congress, including civil rights movement hero Rep. John Lewis, are stepping up by publicly pledging to skip the speech, and dozens more are privately threatening to do so as well.5 But we need more Democrats to step up in support of the president. We have to speak out now to let Democrats know that we will back them up if they stand up for diplomacy with Iran by refusing to attend the speech. Let's be perfectly clear: For Boehner, this has nothing at all to do with Israel. A deal with Iran would be a major foreign policy victory for President Obama, so Republicans are trying to block a deal by passing new sanctions – which would blow up the talks and likely start a war with Iran. Inviting Netanyahu to criticize the Iran negotiations at a joint session of Congress is an attempt by Republicans stack the deck in favor of sanctions and yet another war of choice in the Middle East. Skipping the speech would send the message that John Boehner can't get away with putting our national security and foreign relations at risk in order to hurt the president. Tell Congressional Democrats: Support President Obama's diplomacy with Iran. Skip Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. Click here to sign the petition. Zack Malitz, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: 1. David Weigel, "Israel's U.S.-Born Ambassador Tangles with the White House," Bloomberg, February 5, 2015
2. Max Fisher, "John Boehner's outrageous plan to help a foreign leader undermine Obama," Vox, January 21, 2015
3. Zack Beauchamp, "Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress is already backfiring," February 5, 2015
4. David Bernstein, "Is Netanyahu's address to Congress unconstitutional?" The Washington Post, January 25, 2015
5. Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jake Sherman, "Democrats might skip Benjamin Netanyahu speech," Politico, February 3, 2015 | 
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