The Obama administrations desperate attempts to maintain iron fisted control of the Democratic Party has revealed cracks in the core. In the past week, a few Democrats spoke out against Obama’s Iran deal. Yesterday it began to look like full-on rebellion against the administrations rule.
According to the Associated Press, Secretary of State John Kerry went on the offensive Tuesday against key Democratic Senator Charles Schumer after Schumer has public opposed last month’s historic Iran nuclear deal. Kerry said there was no way the U.S. could prevent American allies from doing business with Tehran if Congress were to reject the agreement.
Speaking across town in New York, Schumer disagreed and suggested Washington still could force the world into isolating the Iranians until they make deeper nuclear concessions.
If they were to shelve the deal — and override an expected presidential veto — they could severely complicate the Obama administration’s ability to honor its commitments to roll back economic sanctions on Iran.
Republicans are almost universally opposed at this point.
Kerry’s comments came shortly after Schumer told reporters why he decided last week to oppose the agreement.
Even if the U.S. were to back away and other countries lifted their sanctions, he contended that “powerful” secondary sanctions would prevent many foreign governments from doing business with Iran and force them into new negotiations with Iran. He cited the French oil company Total as one that would suffer if it dealt with Iran, because then it would be locked out from the U.S. market.
“We have that powerful tool, and if used, I think that’s a better, better chance in a very difficult world than an agreement that is so totally flawed,” Schumer said.
Schumer is in line to be the Democrats’ next leader in the Senate and his defection was seen as a significant blow to Obama’s effort to sell the Iran deal to Congress.
Schumer was asked by reporters if he would lobby colleagues to vote with him.
“Certainly, I’m going to try to persuade my colleagues that my viewpoint is right” he said. “This is a vote of conscience. It was a vote of conscience for me. It will be a vote of conscience for my colleagues.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article