That was a major Obama victory in the Senate today

[malaise]

and here's a delish picture of the losers
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/10/iran-nuclear-deal-senate-day-of-decision

<snip>
Republican efforts to scuttle Barack Obama’s nuclear accord with Iran were blocked by Democrats in the United States Senate on Thursday, paving the way for the president to implement the deal struck between Tehran and six world powers in July.

Senate Democrats filibustered a procedural vote on a measure that would have registered formal disapproval of the Iran deal, in effect stopping it in its tracks. The Senate voted 58-42, short of a required 60-vote threshold, on whether to end debate on the Iran deal, thus failing to even reach an up-or-down vote on the disapproval resolution itself.

The vote marked a major victory for Obama, after months of intense lobbying by his administration geared at persuading Democrats to stand with the president on a legacy-defining issue. Although congressional Democrats rallied sufficient support last month to sustain Obama’s veto – should it come to that point – it only became apparent this week that Senate Democrats had the votes they needed to filibuster the resolution and avoid the need for a veto by the president.
Analysis Iran deal reaches Congress: what happens next and why it matters
The proceedings in the House and the Senate this week will have a huge impact on Iran’s nuclear programme – and the next president’s freedom to navigate it
Read more

Republicans, who uniformly oppose the deal, had nothing but scathing words to offer toward the deal.

[Cali_Democrat]

1. LOL...Harry Reid is so good at taunting the Cons

<...>

Senate minority leader Harry Reid mocked McConnell’s assertion that Democrats had not abided by the rules in his own floor speech, pointing out that it was Republicans who had established that the deal would be held to a 60-vote threshold in an unprecedented letter sent to Iranian leaders in March. Republicans, he added, had used a record number of filibusters against Obama’s agenda when in the minority, prior to retaking control of the Senate in November’s midterm elections.

“The Senate has spoken and has spoken with a clarion voice,” Reid said. “The matter is over with. We should move on.”

<...>

[underpants]

6. They put it in the letter?

First, under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them. In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote. A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate). Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.

[malaise]

8. Read this shit from Tom Cotton - and 46 of them signed it

http://www.cotton.senate.gov/content/cotton-and-46-fellow-senators-send-open-letter-leaders-islamic-republic-iran

An Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

It has to our attention while observing your nuclear negotiations with our government that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our Constitution—the power to make binding international agreements and the different character of federal offices—which you should seriously consider as negotiations progress.

First, under our Constitution, while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them. In the case of a treaty, the Senate must ratify it by a two-thirds vote. A so-called congressional-executive agreement requires a majority vote in both the House and the Senate (which, because of procedural rules, effectively means a three-fifths vote in the Senate). Anything not approved by Congress is a mere executive agreement.

Second, the offices of our Constitution have different characteristics. For example, the president may serve only two 4-year terms, whereas senators may serve an unlimited number of 6-year terms. As applied today, for instance, President Obama will leave office in January 2017, while most of us will remain in office well beyond then—perhaps decades.

What these two constitutional provisions mean is that we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.

We hope this letter enriches your knowledge of our constitutional system and promotes mutual understanding and clarity as nuclear negotiations progress.

Sincerely,

Senator Tom Cotton, R-AR
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-UT
Senator Charles Grassley, R-IA
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Senator Richard Shelby, R-AL
Senator John McCain, R-AZ
Senator James Inhofe, R-OK
Senator Pat Roberts, R-KS
Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL
Senator Michael Enzi, R-WY
Senator Michael Crapo, R-ID
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC
Senator John Cornyn, R-TX
Senator Richard Burr, R-NC
Senator John Thune, R-SD
Senator Johnny Isakson, R-GA
Senator David Vitter, R-LA
Senator John A. Barrasso, R-WY
Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS
Senator Jim Risch, R-ID
Senator Mark Kirk, R-IL
Senator Roy Blunt, R-MO
Senator Jerry Moran, R-KS
Senator Rob Portman, R-OH
Senator John Boozman, R-AR
Senator Pat Toomey, R-PA
Senator John Hoeven, R-ND
Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL
Senator Ron Johnson, R-WI
Senator Rand Paul, R-KY
Senator Mike Lee, R-UT
Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH
Senator Dean Heller, R-NV
Senator Tim Scott, R-SC
Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX
Senator Deb Fischer, R-NE
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA
Senator Cory Gardner, R-CO
Senator James Lankford, R-OK
Senator Steve Daines, R-MT
Senator Mike Rounds, R-SD
Senator David Perdue, R-GA
Senator Thom Tillis, R-NC
Senator Joni Ernst, R-IA
Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE
Senator Dan Sullivan, R-AK

[Herman4747]

18. Yeah, that was bad what these Republicans did...

Deliberately trying to undermine the country's foreign policy just for spite

[malaise]

7. Few know the rules and read all the papers like Harry Reid and

never forget he was an old school boxer.

Mitch the chinless should stuff his face with Tom Cotton's crap letter to the Iranians

This is the essence of being hoisted by one's own petard

[sheshe2]

2. Loving it!

Thanks malaise.

[Lisa D]

3. Big K&R!!

[craigmatic]

4. Damn Obama has only gotten stronger since losing congress. Name a democratic POTUS who has been

this strong going into the final months of his term. Hell name a democrat who's been this strong or effective ever outside of FDR.

[malaise]

9. It's even more hilarious given the ReTHUG plan

to make him a one term loser.

[Historic NY]

24. Shush...you'll blow the illusion of the decenters.

[Egnever]

5. This was over weeks ago

When Schumer announced his decision to vote against it. The count was already in the bag.

[malaise]

12. Yep but Dems played this like master chess players

It's hilarious

[Egnever]

14. No argument from me there

[spanone]

10. lot of desperate faces in that picture. sad, neocons without a war....

[malaise]

11. Must be saying

Why did we sign that stupid Cotton letter - Chris Hayes just described it as the biggest foreign policy wwin for Obama.

Al Franken on right now

[spanone]

13. i agree. bu$h was wrong. peace trumps money.

[Egnever]

15. I do not miss that clown at all

Wish we could all have those years back.

[malaise]

16. Bush was and is an idiot

and a war criminal

[rpannier]

17. I laughed at Graham and his sad

telling the Democrats they owned whatever happens in the ME with Iran
He has yet to take ownership of the disaster people like him caused in Iraq with their invasion

[malaise]

20. That was hilarious but if Cheney can crawl of his crypt to attack Obama

anything is possible - they ae shameless. The thing is they don't care - they are in it for the money - they don't even care who dies.

[Cha]

19. Ha! Thank you President Obama, SOS Kerry, and VP Biden!

mahalo malaise

[malaise]

21. Hi there

Cha

[Cha]

22. Hey Aloha, malaise~ It really is a good day.. the President has a strong coalition!

[blackspade]

23. What a relief.

[ancianita]

25. Very happy to hear of this, thanks! Can't wait to see what's up next.

[Fred Sanders]

26. ANOTHER triumph for President Obama that the corporate meet will gnash their teeth at and

disallow Americans from celebrating. Without a doubt they will pivot to heavily promoting any and all further childish attempts by the GOP, the failed neo-cons of the past and a foreign government, to "derail" an agreement only one nation on the planet now officially opposes.

Obama won this battle long ago when he slipped this by the GOP:

http://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/S.615%20As%20Reported.pdf

Everything struck out is what the GOP originally wanted....Corker struck out the first 24 pages that amounted to an attempt to transfer the power of the Executive Branch in international agreements to Congress ending up with the final version that was passed 99-1 to merely a non-binding "resolution of disapproval".

Checkmate was played months ago.

[Gothmog]

27. This was a major victory

[we can do it]

28. What is Mr. Bean doing in that picture?