Speaking today on the Iran Nuclear Deal, President Obama made news by claiming that Republicans are pretty much the same as America-hating Iranian "hardliners."

Just because Iranian hardliners chant 'death to America' does not mean that that’s what all Iranians believe. In fact, it's those hardliners that are more satisfied with the status quo. It’s those hardliners chanting 'death to America' who’ve been most opposed to the deal. They're making common cause with the Republican Caucus.

Specious arguments are the President's bread and butter. In this case the absurdity is readily apparent to even the most casual observer, which includes Obama, the most casual of all news observers. So we can only assume this was meant to be deliberately provocative in order to stir up his rabid base. And hey, if some of the news oxygen gets sucked away from Planned Parenthood, that's just a happy coincidence.

Opposition to a deal being too weak is not the same as opposition to it being too strong. It's like saying that someone who opposes the death penalty on moral grounds is making common cause with someone who wants to replace it with a system of televised bloodsport. It's like saying that someone who who wants sweet tea out of schools for health reasons is making common cause with someone who thinks children should drink only liquefied cotton candy.

It's like saying someone who uses specious arguments for the purposes of propaganda is making common cause with another group that did the same thing.

There is no common cause. And such overblown rhetoric won't make Americans just forget the issue and hope for the best. Nice try, though.