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President Obama faces two serious problems as he tries to protect his still-unfinished nuclear agreement with Iran from congressional tinkering or destruction. One is the ferocious opposition of Republican hawks who view the deal as insufficiently tough on Tehran. The other is nervousness among Democrats who view the deal as promising but politically risky.

First, the GOP. Not a single prominent Republican has spoken up in favor of the deal. Among likely presidential candidates, almost all have denounced it. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the most moderate, said: "I cannot stand behind such a flawed agreement." Others were harsher; Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called Obama's diplomatic efforts "farcical." The only exception was Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who a few months ago said he supported negotiations with Iran but now says, carefully, that he's studying the matter.

Foreign policy hasn't always been this partisan not even under Obama, whom many conservatives consider the Great Polarizer. In the president's first year, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) praised him for escalating the war against Al Qaeda and slowing troop withdrawals from Afghanistan. In 2010, Obama won the votes of about one-third of the Senate's Republicans for a nuclear arms treaty with Russia. And in 2011, Obama approved the raid that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which was a bipartisan crowd-pleaser even if some Republicans felt the president took too much credit.

But events and politics conspired against that modest degree of comity. In Obama's second term, his foreign policy suffered one reversal after another: a bloody stalemate in Syria, a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the rise of Islamic State in Iraq. The public's confidence in his foreign policy fell to 31% in one poll (from a post-Bin-Laden high of 53%). In the 2014 congressional election, Republicans found that military strength, one of their traditional selling points, was attracting voters' attention again.

As a result, as Obama works to shepherd the nuclear agreement past a Congress with solid Republican majorities in both houses, he's already in effect playing for a tie. White House officials acknowledge that it would be virtually impossible to win an affirmative vote to approve the kind of deal that negotiators outlined last week. Instead, they're simply hoping to prevent Congress from holding up the implementation of a final agreement, should one materialize.

In this unpromising landscape, the closest thing to a champion of bipartisanship is the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.). He has kept his rhetoric moderate and has cagily focused on a single point of possible consensus among Republicans and Democrats on his committee: When a deal is produced, they'd like a say in whether it goes into effect.

Corker has written a bill that sounds reasonable. It would give Congress 60 days to look at any agreement with Iran. During that period, the administration would be prohibited from waiving economic sanctions that are now in place. If Congress voted against the deal, the deal would die; if Congress approved the deal or didn't vote, the deal would live.

That simple procedural goal has enabled Corker to win the endorsements of 11 Democratic senators plus one independent, one short of the 13 he would need (added to all 54 Republicans) for a veto-proof majority of 67. His bill's cosponsors include Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), the next Senate Democratic leader, and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Why are Democrats lining up with the Corker bill? Most say it's merely a matter of preserving congressional prerogative. "I strongly believe Congress should have the right to disapprove any agreement," Schumer said Monday.

But aides acknowledge that there's also a fear, especially for senators facing tough reelection campaigns, of looking insufficiently skeptical about the deal. There's a measure of squeamishness about sticking too closely to a lame duck president whose popularity is below 50%. And one effect of polarization is that it's hard on moderates who'd prefer to find a position somewhere between hell yes and hell no; for some, Corker's bill provides, at least temporarily, that centrist option.

Originally posted here:
Obama's hurdles to shielding any Iran deal from Congress' tinkering

President Obama teasedhiscritics in his Easter remarks asreligiousleaders gathered at the White House for a prayer breakfast Tuesday.

Obama noted the biblical call thatChristians are calledto love each other. But he said he sometimes hears less-than-loving expressions by Christians. He added, but thats a topic for another day, to applause and some jeering and laughter,I was about to veer off. Im pulling it back.

Where there is injustice we defend the oppressed, Obama said, getting back on message after laughter.

Where there is disagreement, we treat each other with compassion and respect, he said. Where there are differences, we find strength in our common humanity, knowing that we are all children of God.

Speaking at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast, President Obama said that with his daughters looking into college, he starts "tearing up," and needs prayers to help him. He also mused on "the glorious resurrection of our savior." (AP)

[For Easter, first family worships at Alexandrias Alfred Street Baptist Church]

Vice President Biden introduced Obama at the breakfast, whichhas become a regular tradition under Obamas administration.

We live our faith when we nurture the hope and possibilities that have always defined us as a country, Biden said. We live Easter and to live Easter is to live with the constant notion that we can always do better.

Both men drew from the inspiration and words of Pope Francis in their remarks. Obama noted how the pope will visit the White House later this year, nodding to the popes call to serve the least of these.

Read more from the original source:
Obama teases his critics at the White House Easter Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON Global warming isnt just affecting the weather, its harming Americans health, President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he announced steps government and businesses will take to better understand and deal with the problem.

Obama said hazards of the changing climate include wildfires sending more pollution into the air, allergy seasons growing longer and rising cases of insect-borne diseases.

Weve got to do better in protecting our vulnerable families, Obama said, adding that, ultimately, all families are affected.

You cant cordon yourself off from air, Obama said. Speaking at Howard University Medical School, he announced commitments from Google, Microsoft and others to help the nations health system prepare for a warmer, more erratic climate.

Warning of the perils to the planet has gotten the president only so far; polls consistently show the public is skeptical that the steps Obama has taken to curb pollution are worth the cost to the economy.

So Obama is aiming to put a spotlight on ways that climate change will have real impacts on the body, like more asthma attacks, allergic reactions, heat-related deaths and injuries from extreme weather.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, top left, Obama and others attend the roundtable.Photo: Reuters

Obama said spending on health such as preventing asthma can save more money than it costs, as well as alleviate pain and suffering.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted that people suffering from an increase in asthma-attack triggers lose time at work and school. Murthy, a doctor, said the problem was especially personal for him because hes seen so many patients struggle to breathe and his own uncle died of a severe asthma attack.

Microsofts research arm will develop a prototype for drones that can collect large quantities of mosquitoes, then digitally analyze their genes and pathogens.

Originally posted here:
Obama: Climate change is making Americans sick

President Obama appealed to lawmakers to reconsider contentious legislation giving Congress a say on an Iran nuclear deal, as the co-author of the bill vowed to hold a key vote next week.

In an interview published Sunday, Obama said the newly agreed framework of a nuclear deal with Iran represented a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and move toward stabilizing the Middle East.

"I've been very clear that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon on my watch, and I think they should understand that we mean it," Obama told New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman. "But I say that hoping that we can conclude this diplomatic arrangement -- and that it ushers a new era in U.S.-Iranian relations - and, just as importantly, over time, a new era in Iranian relations with its neighbors."

Obama cautioned there are many details that still need to be worked out with the Iranians and there would be "real political difficulties" in implementing an agreement in both countries.

He reiterated his opposition to legislation that would give Congress final say in approving or rejecting a deal, but said he hoped to find a path to allow Congress to "express itself."

But the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in an interview with "Fox News Sunday," said Congress would exercise its "rightful role" to scrutinize and approve any agreement to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting international sanctions.

"It's very important that Congress is in the middle of this, understanding, teasing out, asking those important questions," Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Sunday.

Corker's office said Sunday the Foreign Relations Committee would vote on April 14 on the review legislation. Amid sustained opposition from the White House, Corker said that the Senate is two or three votes shy of the 67 needed to override a vowed White House veto.

The so-called P5+1 nations -- the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- have until June 30 to agree on all the details of a final deal with Iran.

"The American people want to know somebody is teasing out the information" about the deal, Corker said Sunday. "Congress has to be involved in this way."

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