Backing off lunacy
by digby
Some Democratic senators are coming to their senses on this Iran sanctions bill. Thank goodness.
When asked to respond to Obama’s veto threat after the speech, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) — who signed on to co-sponsor the new Senate Iran sanctions bill in December — said he only lent his support for the bill to help the president, but now he thinks it should be shelved.
“I did not sign it with the intention that it would ever be voted upon or used upon while we’re negotiating,” he told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. “I signed it because I wanted to make sure the president had a hammer if he needed it and showed him how determined we were to do it and use it if we had to. But with that being said we’ve got to give peace a chance here and we’ve got to support this process.”
I don't know who told him that it was a good idea to "help" the president this way, but I doubt it was the White House simply because it's such a daft thing to do at such a delicate moment. (I'm looking forward to some reporting that explains just how that whole thing came down.)
I think everyone should keep this little gambit in the back of their minds as some of these Senators look toward higher office. Signing on to that ridiculous bill is a tell. A big one. We should pay attention.
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