And now that it’s starting to sink in how badly they screwed up, and how incredibly awful they made themselves look, the Republican Party is falling back on the time-honored “IT WAS A JOKE!” excuse.

Never fails. Except that it always fails.

Republican aides were taken aback by what they thought was a light-hearted attempt to signal to Iran and the public that Congress should have a role in the ongoing nuclear discussions. Two GOP aides separately described their letter as a “cheeky” reminder of the Congressional branch’s prerogatives.

“The administration has no sense of humor when it comes to how weakly they have been handling these negotiations,” said a top GOP Senate aide.