SENATE STARTS IRAN DEBATE – AT 9:55 A.M. ET:  The full Senate has begun debate on a compromise bill that would give Congress at least some say in a final nuclear accord with Iran.  The legislation is far from perfect, but it is a start.  From The Hill: 

Senators began debate on Iran legislation Thursday, with Sens. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) making their opening salvos on the proposal.

Cardin, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, urged senators to maintain the bipartisan nature of the legislation on curbing Iran's nuclear capabilites, which passed unanimously out of the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month.

“What we did in the bill that we bring forward to you is a compromise,” the Maryland Democrat said. “Let’s see the amendments and try to work with you on the amendments. Let’s maintain the bipartisan cooperation we have here.”

Corker, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who is facing skepticism within his own party over the bill, said that without the legislation, the president can “go straight to the U.N. Security Council ... and implement whatever deal he wants to implement with Iran.”

He acknowledged that senators have a “tremendous amount of work,” but called on lawmakers to bring forward any amendments.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he plans to offer or support amendments that would require any final deal to be submitted as a treaty to Iran, that would require the administration to submit any breaches of a final deal to Congress — instead of just material breaches — and that Iran wouldn’t get sanctions relief until they “live up to their international obligations.”

The Arkansas Republican said that includes closing the Fordow site, fulfilling obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the president being able to certify that the country isn’t making intercontinental ballistic missiles and that Iran is no longer a state sponsor of terrorism.

Democrats, as well as President Obama, have pressed for Iran’s support of terrorism to be separate from the ongoing nuclear talks.

Cardin said Thursday that “we’re not talking about actions we’ve taken against Iran for terrorism or human rights violations. That’s a separate issue.”

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) also warned his colleagues against introducing “poisonous” amendments.

“Sometimes you got to know when you hit a home run and be able to cross the plate. ... Not think you’re still stuck in the dugout,” he said. “I urge my colleagues to suppress any intentions that would drive this to a point that we can’t have that strong vote.”

COMMENT:  It seems to me that Corker and Menendez have a strong argument – pass this legislation, which Obama says he'll sign, to provide a foundation for future, tougher legislation if need be. 

Remember, there may not be any deal at all.  Iran and the West are far apart on fundamental issues, like the extent of sanctions relief and the thoroughness of inspections.  If those issues can't be settled, the deal is off.  Even the current legislation is a warning to the president not to make serious concessions because both parties in Congress are watching. 

It will be intriguing to see if Hillary Clinton weighs in on this legislation.  As a presidential candidate and former secretary of state, she would be expected to have an opinion.  Of course, she'd also be expected to act decently, so expectations are sometimes not fulfilled.

April 24, 2015