Let’s break down this recent soundbite from President Biden ahead of the NATO summit. He casually throws out that US negotiators can keep talking with the Iranians “if they want.” It’s almost as if he’s treating serious geopolitical discussions like a casual invite to brunch. Meanwhile, mainstream media outlets like CNN and MSNBC are fawning over this as if it’s some grand diplomatic breakthrough. Spoiler alert: it’s not.

What’s really happening here is a classic example of corporate media spin. CNN wants you to think this is a sign of flexibility, while in actuality, it’s a sign of weakness. The President is essentially saying, “We’ll negotiate if they feel like it,” instead of taking a strong, principled stand against a regime that has repeatedly shown it can’t be trusted. And let’s not forget—this is the same Iran that chants “Death to America” while we tiptoe around negotiations.

Fox News, on the other hand, may claim that Biden is leading us into a “diplomatic trap,” but even they seem hesitant to truly call him out. They’ll tug your patriotic heartstrings with nationalistic rhetoric, but the real story is that both sides of the aisle seem okay with weakness. The ideological teams are the same; they just wear different jerseys.

We can’t let this narrative slide. The reality is that the United States is negotiating with a country that is in direct contradiction to our values, and both Democratic and Republican leadership appear all too willing to sweep that under the rug. America deserves stronger leadership, not half-hearted discussions.