'Big embarrassment for Obama' as DNC chair blocks support for Iran nuclear deal - Israel Hayom Staff and The AP

by Israel Hayom Staff and The AP

Democratic National Committee chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz blocks resolution that would have backed Iran nuclear deal, Washington Post reports • "The Obama-controlled DNC couldn't pass a resolution backing the deal," CNN panelists comment.

 

CNN calls DNC's failure to approve a resolution supporting the Iran deal a "big embarrassment" for President Barack Obama | Photo credit: AP

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz blocked a resolution that would have backed U.S. President Barack Obama's Iran nuclear deal, which curbs Iran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief, The Washington Post reported Saturday. 

Citing "knowledgeable Democrats," the paper reported that during the party's summer meeting, Wasserman Schultz had prevented a vote on a resolution seeking to put the national committee on record as supporting the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, ahead of a crucial vote in Congress that will seal its fate.

A CNN panel described the incident as the "president's big embarrassment." 

"The Obama-controlled DNC could not pass a resolution this weekend expressing support for President Obama's Iran deal," New York Times reporter Jonathan Martin said during the panel debate. "It's a bit of an embarrassment for the administration seeing as it's his party; he appointed Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and it's revived the sort of latest round of eye-rolling among Democratic operatives about the state of the party."

CNN host John King said Martin was being diplomatic, saying it was a "big embarrassment for the president."

"We wanted to show support for the president," James Zogby, the co-chair of the DNC's Resolutions Committee, told The Washington Post. "We found that the best way to show support was a letter that members would sign on to, and the overwhelming majority of DNC members signed onto the letter."

But according to a party spokeswoman, the proposal was not considered due to "procedural issues." The spokeswoman did not name Wasserman Schultz, but according to The Washington Post, other democrats said "it was the congresswoman's direct opposition that blocked its consideration." 

Wasserman Schultz, who represents a heavily Jewish congressional district in Florida, has not officially declared her position on the agreement. Next week, Vice President Joe Biden plans to visit Wasserman Schultz's district in an effort to sway Jewish leaders there to support the nuclear agreement with Iran. 

According to the report, critics of Wasserman Schultz's role in the incident urged her to maintain her allegiance to the president rather than acting on her own political considerations. 

Meanwhile, Oregon's Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley on Sunday became the 31st senator to announce support for the Iran nuclear deal. Merkley's backing puts supporters within reach of the 34 votes required to uphold a presidential veto of a congressional resolution disapproving the agreement. 

Republicans are unanimously against the deal. But with an overwhelming number of Senate Democrats in favor, some have now begun aiming to amass 41 yes votes, which would allow them to use Senate rules to kill the disapproval resolution outright in the Senate and protect Obama from having to use his veto pen.

A vote on the nuclear deal the U.S. and other world powers negotiated with Iran is scheduled for early September.

Merkley said that while he thinks the deal has "significant shortcomings," it is the best strategy to block Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"Because of these shortcomings, many have argued that the United States, instead of implementing the agreement, should withdraw from it, persuade our partners to set the agreement aside and work together to negotiate a better deal," Merkley said in a statement. 

"However, the prospects for this are slim. All of our partners ... believe that the current deal -- in regard to its central goal of blocking Iran's pathways to a nuclear bomb -- is sound. They have committed the good faith of their governments behind the agreement and intend to honor the deal as long as Iran does likewise, with or without the United States."

Israel Hayom Staff and The AP

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=27973

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