Today’s speech to Congress by Benjamin Netanyahu may have been about theater (it isn’t like there was some confusion about his position on Iran that he had to come here to clarify), but it did put before the American public a forceful statement of the Likud/Republican position on the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.

And in doing so, it may well have done Netanyahu and his American supporters far more harm than good.

Much of the speech was given over to arguing that the Iranian regime is terrible and is doing terrible things, which isn’t going to get much argument from anyone. (Nancy Pelosi released a statement afterward calling it an “insult to the intelligence of the United States.”) And the speech was peppered throughout with references, subtle and otherwise, to World War II. “We must all stand together,” he said, “to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation, and terror.”

– Read more: Why Netanyahu’s Speech Didn’t Do His American Allies any Favors – Paul Waldman, Washington Post