Democratic Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland became the crucial 34th vote in favor the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, ensuring a landmark victory for President Barack Obama over ferocious opposition from Republicans and the government of Israel.
“No deal is perfect, especially one negotiated with the Iranian regime,” Mikulski said in a statement. “I have concluded that this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the best option available to block Iran from having a nuclear bomb. For these reasons, I will vote in favor of this deal.”
Mikulski’s backing gives supporters the margin they need to uphold an expected Obama veto of a congressional resolution of disapproval that Republicans hope to pass later this month.
And it spells failure for opponents of the international agreement who sought to foil it by turning Congress against it. Leading that effort were Israel and its allies in the U.S., who failed to get traction after spending millions of dollars trying.
The agreement signed by Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers limits Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for relief from hundreds of billions of dollars in sanctions. Republicans and Israeli leaders contend that concessions made to Iran could empower that country, which has sworn to destroy Israel.
Secretary of State John Kerry is sending a letter to all members of Congress outlining U.S. security commitments to Israel and the Gulf Arab states in light of the nuclear deal. The letter comes as Kerry delivers a major policy speech Wednesday in Philadelphia that focuses on how the international agreement makes the U.S. and its allies safer and how the deal is being mischaracterized by some opponents.
“I really believe the fastest way to a genuine arms race in the Middle East is to not have this agreement,” Kerry said in a nationally broadcast interview Wednesday. “Because if you don’t have this agreement, Iran has already made clear what its direction is.”
With opposition to the agreement failing to take hold on the Democratic side, supporters may even be able to muster the 41 votes needed to block the resolution from passing in the first place, sparing Obama from having to use his veto pen. That would require seven of the 11 remaining undeclared senators to decide in favor of the deal.
Only two Democratic senators have come out against the deal — Chuck Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey — while in recent weeks undeclared Democratic senators, even from red states, have broken in favor one after another.
Even if Congress were able to pass the disapproval resolution, it can’t stop the deal, which was agreed to among Iran, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. In July, the U.N. Security Council unanimously endorsed the nuclear deal, approving a resolution that would lift the international sanctions on Iran in 90 days.
Interviewed on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program Wednesday, Kerry said that the absence of an agreement is what could lead to a nuclear arms race in the region. Putting the deal in place, he said, will keep other nations “from chasing a weapon on their own.”
Kerry also said that if the U.S. rejects the deal, it would confirm the fears of Iran’s leaders “that you can’t deal with the West, that you can’t trust the West.”
(AP)
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14 Responses
So now there’s no more sanctions and in ten years they will have billions of dollars so even the threat of sanctions won’t frighten them and they can seriously make as many bombs as they feel like
now that achashveirosh the tipash has allowed haman to use his ring there is only one thing for the yidden to do and that is tefilah teshuva and tzdaka. may we be zoche for a neis godol. hashem yishmor!
“Lev Sarim…Beyad Hashem”…Arrogant Iran is stupid enough to mess this chance up yet…so don’t give up hope!!! The 2016 election will have many surprises and the Iran deal will play a great part….By the time the 2016 election actually comes about, Iran will have fully violated the deal despite (what will be then be) Obama’s tepid response. At that point, the new Obama world order will fall apart. Watch for a solid veto-proof Republican majority to emerge.
See Yalkut Shimoni, Yeshaya, Perek 60, end of 499. Chazal knew this was coming. At least there is good news at the end. Very good news.
All the Baltimore and NY Yidden supported this toeyvah since she was first elected and this is what they got; Stabbed in the back!
Keep voting for DemocRats, they’ll always turn on you.
The Jewish Community is urged to register to vote as a Republican or an Independent.
(or re-register if you are currently registered as a Democrat) Go to: http://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform.pdf
(you may have to cut & paste into your browser)
The sooner you register, the better. When the Dems see that all Frima Yidden are registered as Dems, they take advantage of the situation because they know that it will be easier to get a DemocRat elected. Enough is enough. We’re not going to be taken advantage of anymore.
Please register today.
Maybe they should invite Hitler to the negotiations
She has a really strong record of supporting Israel.
To register to vote in Maryland:
http://elections.state.md.us/voter_registration/index.html
Did you notice that it says: “And it spells failure for opponents of the international agreement who sought to foil it by turning Congress against it. Leading that effort were Israel and its allies in the U.S., who failed to get traction after spending millions of dollars trying.” That sounds like an echo of our commander-in-chief’s comments. Very troubling and dangerous rhetoric.
Congratulations America the beautiful you have just finished off the grave you started digging when you voted him in. However I see this as one step towards Moshiach. Guys brace yourselves get ready he is practically here. all we need is a few more bricks and now is the right time to daven for Moshiach. May it come speedily in our days.
It should be noted technically congress people can change their minds BEFORE the ACTUAL vote and veto. Democrats in favor or STILL SUPPOSEDLY NOT SURE need to be asked some Very Big Questions (Sen Feinstein, Boxer, Franken, Blumenthal, Cohen,Congress people Wasserman Schultz, Nadler, Levin, etc!!!! 1) What should we do about Terrorist Jihadist Iran now soon getting $110 Billion with which it will greatly increase missiles and tunnel digging funds and other aid to Hamas, Islamic Jiahd and Hezbollah!!! 2) What about in 10-15 years when IRan will have zero break out time to become a NUCLEAR power!!! They are a threat to the USA and Israel. How do you explain a vote FOR?!?During WW2 would you have voted with a president if it was to make a peace treaty with Hitler because the president is in your party!!
All these money spent on Holocaust museums throughout the world, in order to make Goym feel guilty, is wasted. “Never Again” slogans are just empty worlds now. Democrats in US are becoming new Nazis, and “ADL”, AIPAC and other “Jewish” establishments are new Judentars. Now we know how it all happened.
The State of Israel is finished. I suggest anyone who held of it quit it before it’s all over.
To me the biggest villain, after Obama, is Schumer. He made sure that he had the White House blessing to vote against this deal. They gave it to him knowing full well that they already had the votes so that the president could not be beaten in this deal. If Schumer really was against the deal he as the second ranking democratic senator could have exerted enormous pressure on fellow democrats to vote against the deal. He did not. He is a phony.