Sen. Charles Schumer: Profile In Cowardice

Last night, New York Sen. Charles Schumer (?-Wall Street), in line to be the next leader of the Democrats in the Senate, stuck a knife in the back of his President:

Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced his opposition Thursday night to President Obama’s nuclear pact with Iran, becoming the most senior Democrat to break ranks with the administration.

The likely next leader of Senate Democrats, Schumer (N.Y.) said his three-week reading of the proposal left him unconvinced. “There is a strong case that we are better off without an agreement than with one,” he said, referring to the nuclear pact.

Normally, Schumer would want maximum publicity for himself (after all, it's said the most dangerous place in Washington is between Schumer and a TV camera).  But, because he's a coward, he chose to release his announcement while attention was diverted to last night's Republican debate cattle show, whose politicians he is now in league with.

 In a better world, this act of treachery would disqualify Schumer from any further consideration as Sen. Harry Reid's successor;  in fact, in a better world, Schumer would never have been considered a candidate to represent the Democratic Party in the Senate leadership to begin with.  But, it's well known why Schumer got the nod instead of the more reliable Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) -- he's an effective shake down artist fund raiser for fellow Senators, gathering big checks from the Wall Street millionaires that he then feels obliged to protect whenever he can.

This is a betrayal on a matter of the highest national security and the security of the region.  This is a betrayal that is not based on "principle" but on craven calculation.  This is a betrayal that should not be countenanced by Senate Democrats ... but it will be, because they find it extremely hard to bite the hand that feeds them. And that, perhaps, is the worst betrayal of all.

UPDATE:  MoveOn is pushing to have Schumer defeated for party leader in the Senate.

UPDATE II:  Here's part of what Carol Giacomo at the New York Times had to say:

New York’s senior senator, Chuck Schumer, has cast his lot with Republican presidential candidates, other hardliners and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in declaring his opposition to the nuclear agreement that President Obama and five other world leaders negotiated with Iran. Given Mr. Schumer’s wrong-headed and irresponsible decision, Democrats may want to reconsider whether he is the best candidate to be their next leader in the Senate, a job he desperately wants.

(Photo:  Sen. Schumer - "Have I not got a deal for you!")