Pivotal 34th Senator OKs Iran Deal

Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) today announced her support for the President's Iran nuclear deal, becoming the 34th -- and pivotal -- Senator to pledge to vote for the deal.  The President needed at least 34 votes in the Senate to sustain a veto of what will surely be a bill disapproving the deal by a unanimous Rethuglican bloc.  Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) came on board yesterday, as did Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) the day before.  Two Senators, Charles Schumer (D-AIPAC) and Bob Menendez (D-Leavenworth), have already announced that they will vote against the Iran deal that the President negotiated along with our European allies, plus Russia and China.  Schumer is the current Senate minority whip, and was assumed to be in line for the minority leader job next year, before turning on the President's most significant national security initiative of his second term.