MSNBC's Joe Scarborough angrily reacted to President Obama's remarks Monday morning in Ethiopia that he had yet to hear a single viable alternative to the Iran nuclear deal struck earlier in July.
"The good news, I guess, is that I have not yet heard a factual argument on the other side that holds up to scrutiny," Obama said. "There's a reason why 99 percent of the world thinks this is a good deal. It's because it's a good deal ... It accomplishes our goal, which is making sure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon. In fact, it accomplishes that goal better than any alternative that has been suggested. And you've heard me stand up in front of the press corps and try to get a good argument on the other side that's based in fact as opposed to rhetoric, and I haven't gotten one yet."
"Wow," Scarborough said, speaking over co-host Mika Brzezinski. "Wow. Wow. Wow."
The nuclear deal trumpeted by the administration has been fiercely criticized by both sides of the aisle who have noted the administration did not achieve the previously stated goal of "anytime, anywhere" inspections, that the arms embargo against the country was lifted, that Iran will receive $100 billion in sanctions relief that can be used to finance terrorism and that Iran will be a threshold nuclear state when the deal concludes.
"The president can say what he wants to say about the deal, but to say there's no legitimate argument against this deal, to say it's all rhetoric, is deeply offensive to very talented and bright foreign policy thinkers," Scarborough said. "I'm stunned that the President of the United States would be that arrogant to come out and say he hasn't heard a single argument that makes any sense against this Iran deal. Every foreign policy expert I talk to has countless concerns about it, even if they support the deal."
"Obviously on issues like inspections, like the sanctions, like the time frame of when Iran can start developing nuclear capability again, obviously people have questions there, and I know the president knows that," panelist Mark Halperin said.
Obama's repeated the White House talking point that "99 percent" of the world supported the deal, something that Press Secretary Josh Earnest often claimed before being brought up short by questioning by ABC's Jonathan Karl.