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The political problems that President Obama may have selling the Iranian nuclear deal were emphasized quite well yesterday when New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who is set to succeed Harry Reid as leader of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate,endorsed legislationthat would essentially require the president to submit whatever deal is finally reached by the June 30 deadline in the framework for approval by Congress:

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, one of Capitol Hills most influential voices in the Iran nuclear debate, is strongly endorsing passage of a law opposed by President Barack Obama that would give Congress an avenue to reject the White House-brokered framework unveiled last week.

The comments Monday by the Democratic leader-in-waiting illustrate the enormity of the task ahead for Obama and his team: While theres no guarantee that Congress would ultimately reject an agreement with Iran, theres an increasingly bipartisan consensus that Congress should at least have the ability to do so.

His comments came as the White House press secretary was panning the legislation, which was written by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and would allow Congress to vote to suspend the lifting of sanctions. A committee vote on the measure is planned for next week.

Schumer is a potentially decisive figure in whether the Iran measure will eclipse veto-proof support in Congress, given his expected ascension to the Democratic leaders job in 2017 and the diminished influence of indicted Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who recently relinquished his position as the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations panel.

Within the Senate Democratic Caucus, a dozen senators have either co-sponsored Corkers legislation or indicated they could support it. That would put the measure one vote shy of a veto-proof majority. On Monday, three more Democratic senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Claire McCaskill of Missouri left open the possibility of voting for it, according to aides. Their support, however, could hinge on whether Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), the new ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, is able to negotiate concessions that alleviate concerns the bill could derail any agreement.

Capitol Hill aides in both parties on Monday said it is not clear what changes Democrats will seek. The bill would give Congress 60 days to review the Iran framework by freezing sanction relief and allowing lawmakers the ability to formally disapprove or approve of the legislation. One possibility is to clarify that the legislation governs only congressional sanctions rather than ones that originated from global agreements or the White House.

With no co-sponsors publicly backing away from Corkers bill in recent days, Democratic supporters said they have detected a shift in rhetoric from the White House. They pointed to Obamas comment to The New York Times over the weekend in which hesuggestedfinding a legislative compromise that allows Congress to express itself but does not encroach on traditional presidential prerogatives.

I read what the president said last night, looking for a way to work with Congress on that. They are now in a realistic position: That Congress is going to weigh in, said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who co-wrote the bill while making technical consultations with the White House. He called Obamas tone in that interview just a recognition of the reality of the situation on Capitol Hill.

But White House press secretary Josh Earnest declined to entertain that possibility, telling reporters on Monday that the White House sees no way to reconcile Corkers bill with the presidents mission of finishing Iran negotiations before Congress votes on anything.

Originally posted here:
Will Democrats like Chuck Schumer help scuttle Obama's Iran deal?