The list which will live in infamy.
Out of ignorance, cowardice or stupidity?
Out of ignorance, cowardice or stupidity?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/07/14/whip-count-where-the-senate-stands-on-the-iran-deal/
Yes (34)
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin
(D-Wis.): “I’m proud that America led six countries toward an historic
international agreement with Iran."
- Sen. Barbara Boxer
(D-Calif.): "If this agreement is what the Administration says it is,
it is a major, historic diplomatic breakthrough.”
- Sen. Sherrod Brown
(D-Ohio): “This deal is not about trusting the Iranian regime, but instead
working with our allies on comprehensive, verifiable restrictions to block
Iran's pathways to a nuclear bomb without precipitating another war in the
Middle East" he said Aug. 14.
- Sen. Tom Carper
(D-Del.): "This is a good deal for America, our negotiating partners
and the world. That’s not just my view. It’s also the view of scores of
American national security leaders and former senior officials, as well as
many of their Israeli counterparts," he wrote in an op-ed Aug. 28.
- Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.)
"I firmly believe that effective implementation of the [agreement],
bolstered by other U.S. policies, including a strong deterrence policy of
the U.S. and our partners, will be in our national security
interest," he wrote in a 17-page statement released Sept. 1.
- Sen. Chris Coons
(D-Del.): "We are better off trying diplomacy first," the
previously undecided senator told The Washington Post before
giving a speech announcing his support for the deal.
- Sen. Joe Donnelly
(D-Ind.): "Despite having questions about Iran’s intentions, I
am willing to give this agreement the opportunity to succeed," he
said in an Aug. 19 statement.
- Sen. Dick Durbin
(D-Ill.): "The United States, working with our allies, has reached a
historic agreement with Iran that, according to President Obama and
Secretary Kerry, will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. I
commend our negotiators for this critical effort. Finding a diplomatic
solution will make our country, our allies, and the world a safer
place."
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-Calif.): "I stand behind the U.S. negotiating team and will
support this agreement in the Senate."
- Sen. Al Franken
(D-Minn.):"This agreement is, in my opinion, the most effective,
realistic way to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon anytime in the
next 15 years. It does so by imposing a series of physical limits on
Iran's nuclear program, especially its production of the fissile material
it would require to make a bomb," he wrote in a CNN op-ed Aug. 13.
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand
(D-N.Y.) wrote on Medium Aug. 6 "Why I'm supporting an imperfect Iran deal",
saying "Iran made essential concessions in the deal" and "
this deal will provide international nuclear inspectors with access that
they otherwise would not have had ."
- Sen. Martin Heinrich
(D-N.M.): "[T]he numbers under this deal look a hell of a lot better
than what we got under the previous policy," Heinrichtold Politico.
- Sen. Mazie Hirono
(D-Hawaii): "While this agreement is not perfect, it has gained broad
national and international support, including 29 top American nuclear
scientists, of which six are Nobel laureates," she said Aug. 18.
- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.):
" I think if it matches the April 2 framework and there is a solid
verification and inspection regime, I think it’s going to be good for our
national security," he said on PBS July 15th.
- Sen. Angus King
(I-Maine)
- Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.): In
a statement Aug. 10, she said the deal is imperfect but it offers the
"best available option to put the brakes on Iran's development of a
nuclear weapon," according to the AP.
- Sen. Patrick Leahy
(D-Vt.): "We thought we were negotiating in good faith and we'd have
a deal. If we walk out now, many of these countries are going to say,
'okay, you're in it by yourself,'" he said Aug. 5.
- Sen. Ed Markey
(D-Mass.): "This agreement is far from perfect and carries risks. But
I believe our negotiators achieved as much as they reasonably could, and
that if strictly implemented, this plan can be effective," he said Aug. 19.
- Sen. Jeff Merkley
(D-Ore.): "[M]any 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 Aug. 30. “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."
- Sen. Claire McCaskill
(D-Mo.): The moderate Democrat was originally undecided and on Aug. 20 said "This deal isn't
perfect and no one trusts Iran, but it has become clear to me that the
world is united behind this agreement with the exception of the government
of Israel."
- Sen. Barbara Mikulski
(D-Md.): "I've asked if we reject this deal, what the alternatives
are that would be effective and achievable. I’ve considered the
alternatives very closely. But in the end, they don’t present a more
viable option to this deal. The two alternatives are more sanctions, or
military action," she said in a statement Sept. 2.
- Sen. Chris Murphy
(D-Conn.): "I've said for some time that the best way to stop Iran
from obtaining a nuclear weapon is through diplomacy, not war. And after
very thoughtful consideration over the past several weeks, I believe that
more than ever," he said in an Aug. 5 press release.
- Sen. Patty Murray
(D-Wash.): One of the Democratic Party's leaders came out in support
of the deal Aug. 25, saying in a statement: "I am
convinced that moving forward with this deal is the best chance we have at
a strong diplomatic solution, it puts us in a stronger position no matter
what Iran chooses to do, and it keeps all of our options on the table if
Iran doesn't hold up their end of the bargain."
- Sen. Bill Nelson
(D-Fla.): "Unless there is an unexpected change, I will support the
nuclear agreement," he said Aug. 4.
- Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.):
"If Iran cheats, they will be isolated, international sanctions snap
back, and we will have better intelligence, a broader coalition, and a
stronger case for swift, forceful action," said the ranking member of
the Armed Services Committee on Aug. 18.
- Senate Minority Leader
Harry Reid (D-Nev.): "I’m going to do everything in my power to make
sure the deal stands," he told The Washington Post on Aug. 23,
saying was "cautiously optimistic" he'd be able to prevent an
override of Obama's veto of a resolution disapproving the deal.
- Sen. Bernie Sanders
(I-Vt.): "So I think we go as far as we possibly can in trying to
give peace a chance, if you like. Trying to see if this agreement will
work. And I will support it," he told CBS's Face the Nation Aug. 7.
- Sen. Brian Schatz
(D-Hawaii): "Despite the partisan rancor in Washington, the vast
majority of experts believe this is a worthy deal," he said in an
Aug. 10 statement.
- Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
(D-N.H.): "I've concluded this is the best available option we have
for preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," she said in an
Aug. 6 statement.
- Sen. Debbie Stabenow
(D-Mich.): "I have determined that the imminent threat of Iran having
a nuclear weapon outweighs any flaws I see in the international
agreement," she said in an Aug. 24 statement.
- Sen. Jon Tester
(D-Mont.)
- Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.):
"This is a historic moment. This agreement has profound impact if we
approve it and -- make no mistake -- if we fail to approve it," he
said in a July 30 speech.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren
(D-Mass.): "The question now before Congress — the only question
before Congress — is whether the recently announced nuclear agreement
represents our best available option for preventing Iran from acquiring a
nuclear weapon,” she said in a statement to The Boston Globe. “I am convinced that
it does.”
- Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse
(D-R.I.): "Short of war, with all its dramatic uncertainties and
terrible costs, I do not see another pathway to impose a nuclear
weapons-free Iran," he said Aug. 18.
