Among the proudest, most important traditions in Congress is that when the issue is peace or war, lawmakers put partisan considerations aside for the good of the nation. The question before them now may well be just that grave.

Negotiators for the United States, Iran and several other countries revealed Tuesday they had concluded an arrangement intended to prevent Tehran from building nuclear weapons for 10 years.?Secretary of State John Kerry insisted the pact is “the good deal that we sought.”

President Barack Obama adopted a more confrontational attitude toward the plan’s many critics. Rejecting it means “a greater chance of war in the Middle East,” he insisted.

For all involved, the stakes are enormous. The arrangement is worth billions of dollars a year to the troubled Iranian economy. In the near term, it means the regime can tap into $100 billion in assets frozen by the United States and other countries.

For the rest of the world, the pact is more critical. A nuclear-armed Iran, dedicated to destroying Israel, spreading the Shia version of Islam to Sunni nations, and referring to the United States as “the great Satan” would be a clear and present danger.

Obama insists the deal is “not built on trust, it is built on verification.” But that may be impossible. One concession U.S. negotiators made was dropping a demand that Iran open military installations to nuclear weapons inspectors. All this week’s deal ensures is that United Nations officials can negotiate for such access.

Meanwhile, a secret Iranian nuclear bomb program can proceed at off-limits military bases.

Congress has 60 days to examine the proposal. Lawmakers can approve or reject it, or can take no action. Obama has vowed to veto any attempt to kill the plan.

Some Democrats will support it because Obama is their party’s president. Some Republicans will oppose it for the same reason.

This debate is too important for that. Lawmakers should look at the proposal objectively, recognizing that a mistake on it could have frightful consequences. Then, with Republicans and Democrats united in the very best tradition of government in our country, they should do all in their power to safeguard peace.