REVENGE FOR THE IRAN AGREEMENT? – AT 10:29 A.M. ET: It's possible, just possible, that Obama could be headed for a veto override, and the subject is national defense. From the Washington Times:
Senators overcame a filibuster on the annual defense policy bill Tuesday, delivering a significant victory to Republicans and teeing up a battle with President Obama over a threatened veto on the bill, which does everything from raising troops’ pay to setting policy for Guantanamo Bay detainees.
It would be the fifth veto of the president’s tenure, and Republicans said given the popularity of the bill and the dangerous threats the military is confronting overseas, an Obama veto would be the equivalent of declaring surrender.
A final vote is expected Wednesday before the bill is sent to the president’s desk.
“I cannot imagine a president of the United States vetoing a bill that authorizes the ability of Americans to defend this nation under these most challenging circumstances,” said Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican and chairman of the Armed Service Committee.
If Mr. Obama follows through on his threat, it would present the best chance yet for Congress to override him, which would take a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
There appears to be more than enough support in the Senate, which voted 73-26 Tuesday to head off a filibuster. From the Democratic caucus, 21 members sided with Republicans.
The House fell short of two-thirds support last week when it voted 270-156. Ten Republicans joined 146 Democrats in opposition, and many of them likely face intense pressure to support an override.
COMMENT: If an override fails because Republicans in the House can't muster the votes, the political effect on the GOP will be explosive. However, if truth be told, the vote in the House fell about 20 votes short of the two thirds required to override. So even if the ten GOP holdouts switched, the veto would still be sustained.
Also, I wonder if Dems in the Senate would vote to override an Obama veto, given the fact that they were kept almost rigidly in line on the Iran issue. It's one thing to vote for a bill, another to go against a veto by the president of your own party.
Tense votes coming.
October 7, 2015 |