McConnell, Corker cheerlead Obama’s lawlessness on Iran

Senate Republicans have hit a new low. Not only are they doing nothing to stop Obama’s lawlessness on Iran in forging a treaty without Senate ratification, they are allowing him to break the very law that broke the treaty clause of the Constitution.  You can’t make this stuff up!

First, the good news.  When Mark Levin and Conservative Review were the lone voices against Corker-Cardin in April, everyone thought we were being purists.  Most conservative pundits and elected Republicans thought this was the best opportunity to get congressional input.  Every major news outlet was reporting this bill as a means of requiring congressional approval for the deal.  It was so complicated and convoluted to explain to the American people that this bill really did the opposite of what it was advertised to do. 

But as I noted a few weeks ago, you can’t fool all the people all the time, and now the entire country is aware of the Corker-Cardin betrayal and they don’t like it one bit.  The pressure is so intense that when House leadership promised to bring the resolution of disapproval to the floor, House conservatives promised to vote down the rule to consider the legislation.  Now the House is being forced to do what we have been demanding for months.  They are scuttling the unconstitutional process of requiring congress to disapprove of the treaty.  Instead they will bring the following three resolutions to the floor tomorrow:

• A resolution (H. Res 411) stating that Obama has not abided by Corker-Cardin because he withheld the side agreements, thereby preventing the 60-day clock for congressional view from commencing.
   
• A bill (H.R. 3461) to approve of the agreement, placing Democrats in the tough position of having to affirmatively approve of the legislation.
   
• A bill (H.R. 3460) removing Obama’s waiver authority to lift sanctions until next year.  Section (b)(3) of Corker-Cardin prohibits Obama from any effort to “waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of statutory sanctions with respect to Iran” before transmitting all of the components of the deal to Congress.

This process will leave Obama without any semblance of legitimacy to move along with this treaty, whether he ultimately follows through or not.

Now for the bad news.  Amazingly, Mitch McConnell and Bob Corker are siding with Obama against their own legislation. They are asserting that the clock already started two months ago and will expire on September 17.  Evidently, Corker didn’t read his own bill.

Congressional Quarterly reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham admitted Obama is “in clear violation of the terms” of Corker-Cardin, but still feels that “the best way to handle it is just disapprove the deal.”

These Senate Republicans don’t want to fight even when they have the law on their side.  They would rather have a show vote and breathe a sigh of relief they didn’t have to engage in a full media war with Obama. Sen. John McCain, of course, threw in with his partner in trashing the Constitution.  

McConnell and the Senate Republicans are a classic example of subtraction by addition.  We would be in a stronger political position if they did not exist and the Democrats were forced to take responsibility for Obama’s double betrayal and lawlessness.  Now, Republicans are defending them.  There is nothing more powerful than having members of the opposite party play interference.

With the growing voice of the people placing these malcontents on defense, the momentum is beginning to change.