If you have a Democrat Senator or live in the district of a Representative who supports the President, consider yourself lucky.  You still have a chance to influence the debate on the deal.

An overwhelming response from constituents may persuade a few Senate Democrats to switch sides and vote to override the President’s veto.  Also, pressure from colleagues in the House who are feeling the heat as well (and who have to face an election in 15 months) may turn a Senator or two.

Foreign policy is hardly on the radar of most constituents, and the gloating banner headlines about Barbara Mikulski’s announcement last week (surprise, surprise -- lead negotiator Wendy Sherman managed Barb’s first Senate campaign) are meant to deter opponents of the treaty.  Should Senate Dems be inundated by phone calls and faxes, two or three just may rethink their position.  Even one defection could cause a chain reaction.

Don’t bother emailing.  You’ll be lucky if you get an auto-reply thanking you.  Don’t bother signing an on-line petition or a form letter that will be forwarded to D.C. -- for which the organization providing this service will beg you for a contribution.

On Tuesday, take an early or late lunch, grab a sandwich, and call all the regional offices of your Senator and pro-deal Congressperson.  Try the Washington office, but you’re not likely to get through. 

Identify yourself and ask the person who answers the phone if his or her boss has had a chance to read the open letter about the deal signed now by 245 senior military officers. 

The staffer will either say “yes” or that he or she doesn’t know.  If you get the second response, tell the person you will fax the office a copy of the letter.  Do this.

If the receptionist says “yes,” ask what the Senator or Rep thinks of it.  More than likely you’ll get a guarded reply:  the letter will be taken into consideration.  Tell the person you’d like her boss, or his, to give it another look and that you will be faxing a copy.  Go ahead and do this.

If the staffer wants to engage in a discussion about the letter, great.  Reread it.  It’s chilling and persuasive.  Should the staff person mention another letter endorsing the treaty signed by officers -- including military chaplains -- remind him or her that as of now seven times as many generals and admirals have signed the letter in opposition to the agreement.  They outrank as well as outnumber the agreement’s supporters.  The pro-deal letter has an interesting caveat:  JCPOA will be more effective than military action “assuming it is fully implemented.”  Based on Iran’s performance over the past thirty years, there is no reason to assume this.  “The deal requires verification” say the Obama loyalists blandly.  Military leaders opposing the deal take the trouble to point out why verification will be so difficult.

The 245-plus generals and admirals also remind Congress that

While failing to assure prevention of Iran’s nuclear weapons development capabilities, the agreement provides by some estimates $150 billion dollars or more to Iran in the form of sanctions relief. As military officers, we find it unconscionable that such a windfall could be given to a regime that even the Obama administration has acknowledged will use a portion of such funds to continue to support terrorism in Israel, throughout the Middle East and globally, whether directly or through proxies.

If you should have a chance to discuss the question with a staffer -- or anyone else -- it’s worth focusing for a moment on what “terrorism” means.  Young people in excellent health, full of hopes and plans, will be blown up.  Others will experience years of excruciating pain and multiple surgeries.  The targets will include American servicemen abroad (like the Marines in Beirut in 1983) and Jews throughout the world (like those in the Buenos Aires Jewish Center building in 1994). 

It’s not likely you’ll get a chance to discuss the agreement.  The point of the exercise is to keep the Senator or Congressperson’s phone and fax lines humming.

Forward this request to friends, relatives you’re on speaking terms with, fellow church or synagogue members, and any others you think might take the time to phone and fax.

This deal is potentially more likely to “fundamentally transform” America than even mass immigration.  It’s worth taking a few minutes to try to kill it.  The glass is still half-full.