Rep. Patrick Murphy, the Florida Democrat who is running to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, endorsed the Iran nuclear deal on Monday by saying it would help the cause of "peace in our time" — echoing the infamous words uttered by Neville Chamberlain after he struck a deal with Adolf Hitler.

Many critics of the deal that President Obama cut with Iran, which strengthens a regime that has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel, have likened it to when British Prime Minister Chamberlain agreed to allow Hitler to annex the Sudetenland in western Czechoslovakia in 1938, promising that it would bring " peace for our time" — only to see war ensue the following year.

Defenders of the deal have reacted harshly and angrily to this characterization.

But Murphy provided ammo to critics when he explained his backing of Obama's Iran deal by saying, "This debate has proven to me that America and Israel are fortunate to have so many passionate, diverse voices who all want the same things: a nuclear-free Iran, a secure Israel, and peace in our time. In the interest of all three, I will be supporting this deal and voting against a Resolution of Disapproval in September."

His words — and the ominous history attached to them — are sure to be used against him in attack ads. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that residents of Florida overwhelmingly oppose the nuclear pact with Iran 61 percent to 25 percent. By 61 percent to 27 percent, Floridians say the deal "would make the world less safe rather than safer."