THE DISGRACE – AT 8:05 A.M. ET:  Senate Democrats, using procedure gimmickry, once again blocked a vote on the Iran nuclear deal, depriving Americans of knowing how their senators would actually vote on one of the most important foreign-policy issues of our time. 

The Dems blocked the vote because they would surely lose it.  And, with the House having voted against the deal last week, that would mean sending the rejection to the president's desk.  Obama would veto it, but that would be humiliating to him, putting into place a major foreign-policy initiative with both houses of Congress against it.  From The Hill:

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked a resolution disapproving the Iran nuclear deal for a second time, standing firm behind the signature foreign policy initiative of President Obama’s second term.

The Senate voted 56-42 for the Iran resolution, short of the 60 votes needed to move forward.

Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), both candidates for president, didn't vote. Meanwhile, in a repeat of last week, Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin (Md.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.), Robert Menendez (N.J.) and Charles Schumer (N.Y.) bucked Obama to oppose the Iran agreement.

Republicans have until Thursday to pass legislation rejecting the nuclear deal, and while they have pledged to keep the focus on Iran up through the deadline, their next steps are unclear.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the Senate's No. 2 Republican, said that additional votes on Iran this week are "still being discussed."

"Whether there are other votes that we'll take, that hasn't been decided yet to my knowledge," he told reporters.

COMMENT:  What a dark moment in American democracy.

September 16,  2015