Dems Opposition to Iran Deal Grows, Obama Undaunted

President Barack Obama and his family left the White House for a vacation in Martha's Vineyard, and lawmakers have emptied out the Capitol for their annual congressional recess.
 
But the debate over the new Iran nuclear deal is red hot and the president is working hard to build support for his deal and discredit the opposition.

Congress is expected to vote on the agreement next month and many believe it will try to shut down the deal.

One of the biggest critics is Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who's poised to become the leading Democrat in the Senate. He is calling for a new deal with Iran.

Two leading Jewish Democrats in the House, Reps. Eliot Engel and Nita Lowey, both from New York, have also announced their opposition to the current deal.

At least publicly, the White House remains undaunted.

"It doesn't change our confidence that we'll be able to mobilize a substantial majority of Democrats both in the House and in the Senate in support of the deal and if necessary," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

The White House has acknowledged that Congress will probably pass legislation to strike down the deal. The real battle will come after the president vetoes it. Then the question will be whether Congress can gather enough votes to override the president's veto.

Meanwhile, opponents of the deal scored a coup. A former Democratic candidate for vice president, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., will become chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit group that opposes the accord.

"UANI has led the effort to economically isolate the Iranian regime, and its bipartisan and international expertise makes it a highly respected voice on the merits of the Iran agreement," Lieberman said in a UANI press release. "I am honored to assume this new leadership role at this important time."

One of the biggest concerns right now is that the deal does not permanently cut off Iran's path to a nuclear weapon.

Even the president has acknowledged that when the agreement expires in 15 years, it would only take Tehran a matter of months to acquire the materials needed to build a bomb.

Republicans also want to see the texts of the so-called secret "side deals," which are part of the agreement.

In the end, says Schumer, there can be no arm twisting on such a decision. He says his was very personal.    

"This is not going to be one of these things where you can force anyone to vote," Schumer said. "It's a decision of conscience."

And in the weeks ahead, other Democrats will be coming under heavy pressure from both sides to either approve or disapprove the highly controversial deal.

Meanwhile, Sen. Schumer is facing the wrath of the left wing.

The Hill (ITALICS) reports that liberal activists and former top Obama administration officials believe his action may disqualify him from being the next Democratic leader of the Senate after Harry Reid.