Schumer Was Wrong on Iraq and Is Wrong on Iran
Starting a war with Iran is apparently the top legislative priority for the next leader of the Senate Democratic caucus.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer just publicly declared that he will vote to kill the historic Iran nuclear peace deal and urge other Democrats in the Senate to do the same.1 There’s no excuse for any Democrat to oppose the deal – least of all Senator Schumer, who is in line to take over leadership of the Senate Democrats once Senator Harry Reid retires.
Every day, more and more Democrats are lining up to support the historic, including ones like New York’s junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand who are under enormous pressure to oppose the deal..2
Chuck Schumer was wrong on Iraq when he voted for war and he is wrong on Iran. Schumer’s decision to join Republicans in attempting to sabotage the Iran nuclear deal once again shows that he is unfit to lead Senate Democrats.
Tell Sen. Chuck Schumer: Don’t lead Senate Democrats into war with Iran.
Schumer is already facing a massive backlash for his dangerous attempt to take us to war with Iran. Even the White House is piling on, with Press Secretary Josh Earnest saying “I wouldn’t be surprised” if Senate Democrats consider Schumer’s decision in picking their next leader.3
With Congress less than 60 days from voting on whether to seal the deal with Iran or sabotage diplomacy and launch a war, progressive activists can’t let Senator Schumer’s warmongering go unanswered.
Beating the drums for war in the Middle East is not a new role for Sen. Schumer. While he has been widely criticized as a tool of Wall Street banks, there has been much less notice given to the fact that Sen. Schumer voted in 2002 to give President George W. Bush a blank check for war in Iraq. 4
With President Obama on the brink of securing an historic deal to limit Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon, you’d think the next leader of the Senate Democrats would be organizing his fellow senators in the caucus to support the White House’s diplomatic efforts. But instead Sen. Schumer is rallying Senate Democrats to the warmonger caucus by joining Republicans in a rush to yet another war of choice in the Middle East.
Tell Sen. Chuck Schumer: You were wrong on Iraq, and now you’re wrong on Iran. This is not the Democratic leadership we need in the Senate.
Sen. Schumer is playing a very dangerous game with American blood and treasure. There are only two ways this can go. Either the deal President Obama and our allies secured blocks Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons without war, or we move down the path to almost certain war.
We are less than sixty days from one of the most important votes members of Congress will ever take: Whether to support peacefully dismantling Iran’s nuclear program or choose war. Sen. Schumer needs to decide if he wants to be the leader of the Democratic caucus or join the Republican warmonger caucus.
Thank you for speaking out to stop the next war.
- Jennifer Steinhauer and Jonathan Weisman, “Chuck Schumer Opposes Iran Nuclear Deal, Shaking Democratic Firewall,” New York Times, August 6, 2015
- Lara Friedman, “Members of Congress in Support of the Iran Deal,” APN
- Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Schumer, White House at war over Iran,” Politico, August 7, 2015
- Senate vote summary on H.J. Res. 114