BATTLE BEGINS – AT 12:32 P.M. ET:  Republicans in Congress are already weighing in on the Iran deal, and they don't like it.  From Fox: 

Now, it's Congress' turn.

The announcement Tuesday of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran shifts the debate from the negotiating table in Vienna to the floors of Capitol Hill, where a rebellion already is brewing over elements of the deal that critics call a "historic capitulation."

President Obama, speaking early Tuesday morning from the White House, touted the agreement as a breakthrough that has "stopped the spread of nuclear weapons" in the region. The deal would curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for significant sanctions relief.

But Congress, under legislation approved earlier this year, has a say and will be able to approve or reject the terms after a 60-day review period.

With a potential veto showdown on the horizon, Obama faces a tough sales job, and his task is only compounded by the fact the vote could easily slip into September -- after the August recess, where wavering lawmakers could face pressure from voters and advocacy groups.

The president on Tuesday said he welcomes a "robust debate." At the least, he's sure to get it.

"This is a deal for a deal's sake," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a hawkish senator and 2016 presidential candidate, told Fox News, calling it a potential "death sentence for the state of Israel."

In the hours after the deal was announced, U.S. lawmakers listed several complaints. Contrary to Obama's claims, they say, the deal could trigger an arms race in the Middle East by legitimizing Iran's nuclear program, despite the restrictions it imposes.

Further, lawmakers are pointing to at least two provisions: One giving Iran leverage over its own nuclear site inspections, and another that could lift the U.N. arms and missile tech restrictions on Iran in the coming years.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce, R-Calif., voiced concerns about both those provisions on Tuesday, and was joined by fellow Republicans.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., called the arms embargo provision a "historic capitulation."

COMMENT:  It is important that the Republicans get their message out quickly and clearly, and they must be prepared to counter the ugly comments that are sure to come – that they're "warmongers," that they oppose Obama because he's black, that they're Islamophobic.  This is going to be a very bitter battle because Obama's legacy is on the line.  Don't expect softballs, except in the questions that most mainstream journalists will lob at the administration.

July 14, 2015