Instead of taking the easy route and launching the nuclear option, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will attempt something different after Democrats blocked taking a vote on the Iran deal a second time
(The Hill) Â Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to force Democrats to walk the line on the Iran nuclear agreement, teeing up a vote on a contentious amendment on the deal.
The Republican leader scheduled a procedural vote on an amendment that would block President Obama from lifting sanctions against Iran under the nuclear deal until Iran publicly supports Israel and releases Americans currently held in Iranian prisons.
That would actually be requiring Iran to say that Israel has a right to exist, and releasing the 4 Americans held.
Under Senate rules, the vote would occur Thursday, which is also the deadline for Congress to pass legislation on the Iran nuclear agreement.
The procedural hardball comes after Democrats blocked a resolution of disapproval on the deal from overcoming a procedural hurdle for a second time. Opponents of the agreement were largely expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.
The Kentucky Republican warned Democrats ahead of Tuesday’s vote that if they blocked the resolution that he would file his amendment, saying that “my strong preference is for Democrats to simply allow an up-or-down vote on the president’s Iran deal.”
“But if they’re determined to make that impossible, then at the very least we should be able to provide some protection to Israel and long-overdue relief to Americans who’ve languished in Iranian custody for years,” he added.
Good thing Republicans pushed the Corker amendment, which turned the approval process on it’s head, eh? McConnell could have, right before attempting cloture, said “we haven’t received all material related to the Iran deal, and till Mr. Obama sends over all side deals and communications, the review period cannot start, so, there is no way the Iran deal can be implemented till that occurs, so, we won’t be taking any votes.”
“The Republican leader has threatened to us, ‘we lost and we’re going to make you suffer,'” Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said. “The Republicans have lost. They lost this measure, and we should move on to something else.”
Of course, the majority of Americans have, in almost every single poll, said they are against the Iran deal and want the Senate to shoot it down. Only in Democratic Party politics is it considered “losing” when they block the ability to vote on a major piece of foreign policy.
Forcing Democrats to filibuster the resolution would put Dems in a tough place, where most have to pretend they care about Israel. Sure, some actually do support Israel, but, most are hardcores who despise Israel.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
[…] Harry Reid is already whining about it, and I’m sure he’s coming up with ways to prevent his members from having to publicly throw Israel under the bus. As for McConnell and the Republicans, it didn’t have to come to this, as William Teach pointed out. […]