In one of the most spineless news dumps ever, Chuck Schumer announced his plans during the GOP debate to join the Republicans in undermining the President and pushing us towards war towards Iran. At the exact same time, a billionaire named Haim Saban also released a statement saying he opposed the deal and would fight it.
What do these people have in common? They are top-tier Hillary Clinton surrogates. Chuck Schumer endorsed Hillary's 2008 run in 2006, and her 2016 run in 2013, the first senator to do so in both cases. Saban is a top donor to Clinton's Super PAC, having given $2m thus far.
Hillary was quite responsible for our first foray into the Middle East, duly joining George W. Bush and the neocons in a yes vote for an irresponsible and pointless war. Now, it appears she is sitting idly by as her highest level surrogates are ready to lock arms with Republicans and fight the President in favor of yet another war. She herself has given the most tepid possible backing to the deal, and has shown zero inclination toward fighting for votes to support the president.
Here's the thing - Republicans really, really want a war with Iran. John McCain sang his cute little "bomb Iran" song 7 years ago, and nothing has really changed. Jeb Bush has surrounded himself with all the neocons who trumped up the circumstances for the Iraq war in 2003, and if you don't think they've already got the next war planned, you're delusional.
In 2003 we learned a lesson the hard way that if one party is really itching for war, and the other is split and/or muted in response, then we're getting war. Hillary herself claims to have learned her lesson from her disastrous vote to enable Bush's war. So why is it starting to look like the same story all over again?
There is zero chance that Chuck Schumer, who is about to ascend to Democratic leadership of the Senate and is the Senate's most staunch Hillary supporter, did not consult with Clinton about what he was about to do. Same goes with one of her most prolific funding sources. So where is her leadership? How did she not learn from her previous mistake that giving the Republicans the Middle East war they crave is not going to end well?
There is no place for a Democratic presidential candidate who surrounds herself (or himself) at the highest levels with warmongers who look to undermine a Democratic president, as well as 5 other countries, in keeping peace while denying Iran nuclear weapons. Hillary Clinton needs to forcefully declare that she supports the President and the Democratic party in preserving peace. Inaction and/or more muddled statements while her surrogates beat the war drums will serve to show that she has learned absolutely nothing since 2003.
The ball is in your court, Hillary. It's time to see if you have really changed.