So here's the latest pointless thing the Senate just did, voting again on the Iran deal disapproval resolution and failing, again, to advance it. As of this writing, the resolution as been blocked with 41 Democratic "no" votes. It's being held open throughout the evening to give Senators traveling after the holiday time to get there. But the conclusion was forgone. Because, really,
nothing changed since last week when all the Democrats who decided to support the deal voted.
But Mitch McConnell is determined, for whatever reason, to keep on beating this drum. He's threatening to force even more pointless votes.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning Democrats that if they block a resolution disapproving the Iran nuclear deal, he will force a vote on a contentious amendment related to Israel and U.S. prisoners.
"I will file on an amendment that would prevent the president from lifting sanctions until Iran meets two simple benchmarks," McConnell said. "It must formally recognize Israel’s right to exist, and it must release the American citizens being held in Iranian custody."
He also said that he'll
file an amendment requiring that the four Americans Iran is holding be released, and maybe even one on extending sanctions, which Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN)
says they have the votes to do, even to override a veto. He's blowing smoke. If McConnell continues on this extraordinarily petty path of trying to force political votes, he'll only solidify Democratic opposition.
Meanwhile, the government is lumbering closer and closer to a shutdown on September 30. Something McConnell might want to spend a bit of time considering.