Corker says it's unlikely Congress can derail Iran deal

Sen. Bob Corker said while he is deeply opposed to an agreement on the future of Iran's nuclear program, it is likely Congress won't be able to muster the opposition to stop the deal.

"My guess is this agreement is going to happen," Corker, R-Tenn., said during a Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce event at Belmont University Wednesday morning. "At the end of the day, I don't think there's going to be likely a veto-proof number of people to keep it from occurring."

Congress has the authority to review the agreement. However, if that review leads to legislation aimed at killing the deal, President Barack Obama would veto the measure. Although he originally anticipated enough opposition to override the president's veto, Corker's recent statements acknowledge an override is unlikely.

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Obama and his administration continue to see increased legislative support for the agreement. Only two Senate Democrats — Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey — have publicly said they'll oppose the deal, with more than 25 Senate Democrats endorsing the accord.

"When this agreement is implemented and ... we've got inspectors on the ground and it becomes clear that Iran in fact is abiding by this agreement, then attitudes will change because people will recognize that, in fact, whatever parade of horribles was presented in opposition have not come true," Obama recently told NPR.

"That, instead, what we've seen is an effective way to bind Iran to a commitment not to have nuclear weapons and, in that scenario, it'll probably be forgotten that Republicans uniformly opposed it."

Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, initially supported the idea of reaching an agreement with Iran. But that agreement needed to dismantle Iran's nuclear program while allowing outside inspectors essentially unlimited access to Iranian nuclear sites before lifting any economic sanctions.

The actual deal looks nothing like the original goals the administration outlined for any agreement, Corker told The Tennessean editorial board Wednesday. The deal "in many ways, paves the way" for Iran to obtaine a nuclear weapon, Corker said, a fear the administration denies. The administration failed at the negotiating table, especially when it "punted" in the final rounds before the deal was announced, Corker said.

"The fact that we've had this rogue nation with a boot on it's neck and it has been able to negotiate with Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and us ... and end up in the place that they are to me is very concerning," Corker said.

Obama and fellow supporters say opponents are too quick to reject the deal while offering no reasonable alternative. Corker said, ideally, Congress would reject the deal and negotiators could hammer out a plan with stronger restrictions. With that an unlikely scenario, Corker said opponents of the deal are afraid the agreement creates something of a "de facto" U.S. strategy for the Middle East.

"The next step we've got to have is some kind of articulated strategy in the region to make sure that our allies, our friends there don't start taking an inordinate risk because of the balance changing so quickly and end up having an even more volatile situation," Corker said at the chamber meeting.

The senator criticized what he considers to be Obama's lack of action against Hamas, Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria. The president is pushing forward with the plan not because it's sound, but because he's in search of a legacy, Corker said.

"I know the administration feels like they haven't had any foreign policy successes since they've been there, this was a legacy item. So you had a lot of motivation to end up with an agreement. I just think it's one ... that all of us will own," Corker said.

Despite his strong stance against the deal, Corker said he does not plans to actively call on individual lawmakers to join the opposition. He said he believes the administration is "personally attacking" opponents and threatening primary challenges for any Democrats on the fence about the plan, but Corker doesn't think it's appropriate for him to personally lobby other lawmakers on this particular vote.

"It's such a vote of conscience; it's such a considered vote," he said. "My role is not so much to lobby but be a sounding board for people. That's a more effective place for me to be."

The Senate and House return to regular session in September. Corker said he expects a "sober, substantive debate" and vote on the deal at that time. If, as Corker expects, there is enough legislative support to prevent overriding a veto, then Congress will come back with some "very strong provisions" related to Iran and a regional strategy that supports allies in the Middle East.

Reach Jamie McGee at 615-259-8071 and on Twitter @JamieMcGee_. Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.