Iran nuclear deal survives: Democrats block disapproval vote

[webfact]

Iran nuclear deal survives: Democrats block disapproval vote
By ERICA WERNER and DEB RIECHMANN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats voted to uphold the hard-fought nuclear accord with Iran on Thursday, overcoming ferocious GOP opposition and delivering President Barack Obama a legacy-making victory on his top foreign policy priority.

A disapproval resolution for the agreement fell two votes short of the 60 needed to move forward as most Democratic and independent senators banded together against it. Although House Republicans continued to pursue eleventh-hour strategies to derail the international accord and Senate Republicans promised a re-vote, Thursday's outcome all but guaranteed that the disapproval legislation would not reach Obama's desk.

As a result the nuclear deal will move forward unchecked by Congress, an improbable win by Obama in the face of unanimous opposition from Republicans who control Capitol Hill, GOP candidates seeking to replace him in the Oval Office and the state of Israel and its allied lobbyists in the U.S.

Beginning next week, Obama will be free to start scaling back U.S. sanctions to implement the agreement negotiated by Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers. The accord aims to constrain Iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions.

"This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security and for the safety and security of the world," the president said in a statement. "Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying this deal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon."

Frustrated Republicans railed against Democrats for using a procedural vote to block final passage of the disapproval resolution, and issued grim warnings about a deal they contend could serve only to enrich Tehran and leave it closer to building a bomb when constraints begin to ease in 10 or 15 years. They promised that Thursday's vote would not be the Senate's last word, and moments after it was over Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell set the stage for another next week.

"No amount of saying this issue is over makes it over," McConnell declared, adding that if a Republican wins the White House next year, "I say to Iranian observers of the debate, (the deal) will be looked on anew."

But Democrats led by Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada promised that any further votes would have the same outcome "and are just simply a waste of time."

"People around the world should know today's outcome was clear, decisive and final," Reid said.

In the House, Republicans had not given up on blocking the deal against all odds. After backtracking on plans to vote on the disapproval resolution when it began to look short of support in the Senate, House Republicans lined up votes on several related measures.

Late Thursday they agreed on a party-line 245-186 vote to a measure specifying that Obama had not properly submitted all documents related to the accord for Congress' review, and therefore a 60-day review clock had not really started.

That will be followed Friday by votes on a bill to approve the accord — which is doomed to fail, but Republicans want to force Democrats to go on record in favor of the agreement — and on a measure preventing Obama from lifting congressionally mandated sanctions on Iran.

"This debate is far from over, and frankly, it's just beginning," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. "This is a bad deal with decades-long consequences for the security of the American people and our allies. And we'll use every tool at our disposal to stop, slow, and delay this agreement."

Underscoring the fierce politics, the National Republican Senatorial Committee sent out press releases within moments of the Senate vote criticizing Democratic senators for their votes.

Some House Republicans, buoyed by a favorable ruling this week in a lawsuit they filed over Obama's health care law, have begun suggesting a lawsuit to stop the accord. Boehner called that "an option that is very possible."

Yet the House Republican maneuvers seemed to have little chance of bearing results, and White House officials sarcastically branded them the "Tortilla Coast Gambit," a reference to a Capitol Hill restaurant where tea party lawmakers plan their moves. Even before the Senate voted, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest was boasting of the administration's success.

"Look, if we were sitting here just a month ago, back in mid-August, talking about how things would be resolved in Congress ... and I told you that neither house of Congress would pass a resolution of disapproval for this agreement, you'd be shocked," Earnest said. "That's an indication of the kind of progress that we've made."

In fact, opponents never had much chance of blocking the deal on Capitol Hill, partly because of a complicated congressional review process that gave unusual power to Democratic minorities in the House and Senate who could secure a win for Obama simply by upholding his veto of a disapproval resolution. Yet it was widely expected in the days after the nuclear deal was signed July 14 that Obama would have to use his veto pen.

Despite poll numbers showing significant public concern about the agreement, opposition never seemed to catch fire among Democrats or voters over the summer. In the end, instead of registering unified opposition to the deal, congressional Republicans turned the debate into the latest occasion for infighting within the party and between the House and Senate.
___

Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Nancy Benac, Alan Fram and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-11

[granuaile]

Good,... despite the obstructionism of the right-wing in the Senate, my president, President Obama, adds another great thing to his legacy. Hopefully the American people will not send the country into another downward spiral by electing a republican. The good thing is most of their potential candidates have no chance against the Democrats... Myself I support Bernie, would love to say President Sanders.... But I could be OK with a Clinton or Biden presidency especially if they included Bernie on the ticket...

Way to go Mr. President, you kicked ass....

[chuckd]

Good,... despite the obstructionism of the right-wing in the Senate, my president, President Obama, adds another great thing to his legacy. Hopefully the American people will not send the country into another downward spiral by electing a republican. The good thing is most of their potential candidates have no chance against the Democrats... Myself I support Bernie, would love to say President Sanders.... But I could be OK with a Clinton or Biden presidency especially if they included Bernie on the ticket...

Way to go Mr. President, you kicked ass....

"Way to go Mr. President, you kicked ass...."

He didn't kick anybody's ass. He and his Democrats in the Senate simply danced around the Constitution.

Article II, Section 2, 2nd paragraph, in discussing Presidential powers says...

"He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate to make Treaties, provided two-thirds of the Senators present concur..."

What the administration has done is to call the Iran deal an Executive Agreement, not a treaty. Thus bypassing that nasty Senate advice and consent requirement placed in the Constitution.

Both Houses of Congress have been planning on passing legislation of disapproval of the Iran deal, which the President would veto, and neither House would be able to override his veto, since that also requires a two-thirds vote in each House.

Instead the Senate Democrats decided to filibuster the legislation, which would effectively kill the bill in the Senate, thus killing the vote of disapproval legislation. It takes 60 votes in the Senate for Cloture and the Republicans could only muster 58.

The end result is the US now has a "treaty that really isn't a treaty" with Iran and the UN, that passed the Constitutional requirement of a two-thirds Senate vote by only a 42% Senate approval vote and only a 21% public approval rating.

The only ass that has been kicked is that of the Constitution and the American people.

[MadBum]

Insanity.

[up-country_sinclair]

The President schooled the Israeli Firsters on this and delivered a very good deal in line with America's strategic interests. Real Americans should hope and pray this is not the last time we stop the tail from wagging the dog.

[Jingthing]

Informed American liberals?

[chuckd]

It seems all this effort by the Democrats to get the Treaty/Agreement through without discussion was for naught. While they succeeded in their effort to rubber stamp yet another bad deal from this administration, it now appears Obama has signed a treaty with...himself.

As of now, neither Iran or any other members of the P5+1 have even signed the thing and, it might be presumed, none of them ever will.

Iran got what they wanted all along. The sanctions on trade have been removed and the Europeans and Chinese are all in a row to get their fingers in the pot.

Obama and Kerry have been played for fools by the carpet dealers of Tehran.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama will be the only person sticking to Iran deal

By Amir Taheri

October 11, 2015 | 7:21am

Sometime this week, President Obama is scheduled to sign an executive order to meet the Oct. 15 “adoption day” he has set for the nuclear deal he says he has made with Iran. According to the president’s timetable the next step would be “the start day of implementation,” fixed for Dec. 15

.

But as things now stand, Obama may end up being the only person in the world to sign his much-wanted deal, in effect making a treaty with himself.

The Iranians have signed nothing and have no plans for doing so. The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has not even been discussed at the Islamic Republic’s Council of Ministers. Nor has the Tehran government bothered to even provide an official Persian translation of the 159-page text.

Read more here: http://nypost.com/2015/10/11/obama-will-be-the-only-person-sticking-to-iran-deal/

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The article is an eye opener for those that seemed to believe there were any redeeming features in this treaty.

The article goes on to say that Britain has lifted the ban on 22 Iranian banks and companies blacklisted because of alleged involvement in deals linked to the nuclear issue, German trade with Iran has risen by 33 percent, China has signed accords to help Iran build five more nuclear reactors, Russia has begun delivering S300 anti-aircraft missile systems and is in talks to sell Sukhoi planes and France has sent its foreign minister and a 100-man delegation to negotiate big business deals, including projects to double Iran’s crude oil exports.

And the treaty hasn't been signed by anybody but SecState Kerry.

I would like to believe this article is wrong but there is no coverage from the MSM one way or the other. I hope it is incorrect but I fear this treaty is going to turn out to be what the article says it might become...

"The Obama deal may end up as the biggest diplomatic scam in recent history."

[NeverSure]

"Obama may will end up as the biggest POTUS scam in history."

[Boon Mee]

"Obama may will end up as the biggest POTUS scam in history."

He's the only one who will be upholding this Scam as well.

What a joke...if it didn't foretell WW3, eh?

[chuckd]

Hold the phone.

The Iranian Parliament just voted to approve the agreement...but said access to military sites must be very limited.

Now maybe the Obama agreement isn't with himself but with somebody else that he can't verify is doing the right thing.

Just another step down the slippery slope for the Obama administration.

[Steely Dan]

It seems all this effort by the Democrats to get the Treaty/Agreement through without discussion was for naught. While they succeeded in their effort to rubber stamp yet another bad deal from this administration, it now appears Obama has signed a treaty with...himself.

As of now, neither Iran or any other members of the P5+1 have even signed the thing and, it might be presumed, none of them ever will.

Iran got what they wanted all along. The sanctions on trade have been removed and the Europeans and Chinese are all in a row to get their fingers in the pot.

Obama and Kerry have been played for fools by the carpet dealers of Tehran.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Obama will be the only person sticking to Iran deal

By Amir Taheri

October 11, 2015 | 7:21am

Sometime this week, President Obama is scheduled to sign an executive order to meet the Oct. 15 “adoption day” he has set for the nuclear deal he says he has made with Iran. According to the president’s timetable the next step would be “the start day of implementation,” fixed for Dec. 15

.

But as things now stand, Obama may end up being the only person in the world to sign his much-wanted deal, in effect making a treaty with himself.

The Iranians have signed nothing and have no plans for doing so. The so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has not even been discussed at the Islamic Republic’s Council of Ministers. Nor has the Tehran government bothered to even provide an official Persian translation of the 159-page text.

Read more here: http://nypost.com/2015/10/11/obama-will-be-the-only-person-sticking-to-iran-deal/

-------------------------------------------------------------------

The article is an eye opener for those that seemed to believe there were any redeeming features in this treaty.

The article goes on to say that Britain has lifted the ban on 22 Iranian banks and companies blacklisted because of alleged involvement in deals linked to the nuclear issue, German trade with Iran has risen by 33 percent, China has signed accords to help Iran build five more nuclear reactors, Russia has begun delivering S300 anti-aircraft missile systems and is in talks to sell Sukhoi planes and France has sent its foreign minister and a 100-man delegation to negotiate big business deals, including projects to double Iran’s crude oil exports.

And the treaty hasn't been signed by anybody but SecState Kerry.

I would like to believe this article is wrong but there is no coverage from the MSM one way or the other. I hope it is incorrect but I fear this treaty is going to turn out to be what the article says it might become...

"The Obama deal may end up as the biggest diplomatic scam in recent history."

When I get up from a warm seat with a piece of paper in my hand I trust it to be both flexible and absorbent.

[Chicog]

Another step away from insane American warmongers.

Excellent news.

Edited October 19, 2015 by Chicog

[Steely Dan]

The Iranians have been in breach of the JPCOA since late October, though you will not hear a squeak from the MSM until they are forced to do so. Here is a link detailing the pleas of Rafsanjani for Iran to abide by the JPCOA, Khamenei will not do so unless all sanctions are lifted at once.

P.s Please feel free to disbelieve the source and stay in denial, but next comes military action, which won't be long now.

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=68825

Edited November 3, 2015 by Steely Dan

[pitrevie]

As if it makes any difference what is in this agreement, the plain fact is that even before any agreement had been signed, the "bomb Iran" faction had made it clear they were against it. Most of the Middle East is in turmoil, Europe is being engulfed in the results of that mess thanks to the idiots Bush and Cheney but it still isn't enough, lets create more of a mess.

[Chicog]

The Iranians have been in breach of the JPCOA since late October, though you will not hear a squeak from the MSM until they are forced to do so. Here is a link detailing the pleas of Rafsanjani for Iran to abide by the JPCOA, Khamenei will not do so unless all sanctions are lifted at once.

P.s Please feel free to disbelieve the source and stay in denial, but next comes military action, which won't be long now.

http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=68825

It's extremist Israeli nonsense, isn't it?

I see no reason to pack up and move if that's the best scaremongering you can come up with.