President Obama rubbed a little salt in the Republican wound with a statement offered an unspoken reminder that Democrats stood together and won again.
In a statement, the President said:
Today, the Senate took an historic step forward and voted to enable the United States to work with our international partners to enable the implementation of the comprehensive, long-term deal that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This vote is a victory for diplomacy, for American national security, and for the safety and security of the world. For nearly two years, we negotiated from a position of strength to reach an agreement that meets our core objectives. Since we concluded these negotiations, we have had the most consequential national security debate since the decision to invade Iraq more than a decade ago. Over the last several weeks, the more members studied the details of this deal, the more they came out in support. Today, I am heartened that so many Senators judged this deal on the merits, and am gratified by the strong support of lawmakers and citizens alike. Going forward, we will turn to the critical work of implementing and verifying this deal so that Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon, while pursuing a foreign policy that leaves our country – and the world – a safer place.
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When President Obama was praising the Senate for taking a historic step forward, he was really talking about the group of 42 Senate Democrats who blocked the resolution of disapproval from passing. Republicans will try to spin the vote into a “victory” by claiming that a majority of the Senate voted against the deal, but this isn’t much of an argument since Republicans have a majority in the Senate.
Senate Republicans thought they were setting up an epic veto showdown with the President that they could use as a campaign issue in 2016, what ended up happening was another crushing defeat that demonstrated the strength of Obama and the Democrats.
Republicans thought that they could use Netanyahu’s opposition to the Iran deal as a wedge that divide Senate Democrats and their president. Instead, Democrats unified around Obama and dealt Republicans another embarrassing defeat. Republicans will try to their lemons into lemonade on the campaign trail, but they have been beaten again by a “lame duck” who still has a lot of quack.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
