Obama - Clinton

Not to put too fine a point on it, but the people on the Republican right who have jumped to a kneejerk, sight unseen rejection of the Iran deal are the same people who brought us the Vietnam War and the invasion of Iraq. I don't mean the identical individuals, though there's some carry over; I mean they are governed by the same impulse, including the assumption that there are no limits to what American military force can achieve in reshaping the world.

Neither Vietnam nor Iraq taught them much, leading me to doubt they are teachable. And they would like to apply their same belligerent ignorance to Iran.

I think Barack Obama and John Kerry have done great in delivering a deal that, as both have well-argued, offers the best possible hope of keeping Iran from becoming a nuclear power, while holding our own warmonger instincts — and yes, we harbor them — in abeyance.

As I see, it we haven't fought a major war since Korea that needed fighting. This is not to say the need for such a war cannot arise but wouldn't it be grand if it didn't.

Let me add that given Obama's achievements it's crucial that Hillary Clinton become our next president. No insult to Bernie Sanders, he's a welcome contender, but only Clinton can win and it's crucial we have a Democrat who will solidify Obama's gains from foreign to domestic policy rather than a Republican who will seek to undo them from day one as a matter of principle.

By my count, last time we had two successive Democratic presidents, was Kennedy - Johnson. That, of course, was a very special kind of succession, predicated on the assassination of JFK.

Though lacking that kind of impetus, an Obama to Clinton succession may be as much or more consequential.