Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/569627
ByEricaWernerandDeb Riechmann The Associated Press WASHINGTON SenateDem- ocrats voted to uphold the hard-fought nuclear ac- cord with Iran on Thursday, overcoming ferocious GOP opposition and delivering President Barack Obama a legacy-making victory on his top foreign policy pri- ority. A disapproval resolu- tion for the agreement fell two votes short of the 60 needed to move forward as Democratic and inde- pendent senators banded together against it. Al- though House Republi- cans continued to pursue eleventh-hour strategies to derail the international accord, the outcome in the Senate guaranteed that the disapproval legislation would not reach Obama's desk. As a result the nuclear deal will move forward un- checked by Congress, an improbable win by Obama in the face of unanimous opposition from Republi- cans who control Capitol Hill, GOP candidates seek- ing to replace him in the Oval Office and the state of Israel and its allied lobby- ists in the U.S. Beginning next week, Obama will be free to start scaling back U.S. sanctions to implement the agree- ment negotiated by Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers. The accord aims to constrain Iran's nuclear am- bitions in exchange for hun- dreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions. "We have one goal in mind, shared by many na- tions around the world: to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon," said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Senate Democrat. "I believe this agreement comes as close to achiev- ing that as we can hope for at this moment." Frustrated Republicans railed against Democrats for using a procedural vote to block final passage of the disapproval resolution, and issued grim warnings about a deal they contend could serve only to enrich Teh- ran and leave it closer to building a bomb when con- straints begin to ease in 10 or 15 years. "To my Democratic friends: You own this. You own every 'I' and every 'T' and every bullet, and you own everything that is to follow," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "And it's go- ing to be holy hell." In the House, Republi- cans had not given up on blocking the deal against all odds. After backtracking on plans to vote on the dis- approval resolution when it began to look short of sup- port in the Senate, House Republicans lined up votes on several related mea- sures. Late Thursday they ex- pected to pass a measure specifying that Obama had not properly submitted all documents related to the accord for Congress' review, and therefore a 60-day re- view clock had not really started. That would be followed Friday by votes on a bill to approve the accord — which is doomed to fail, but Re- publicans want to force Democrats to go on record in favor of the agreement — and on a measure prevent- ing Obama from lifting congressionally mandated sanctions on Iran. "This debate is far from over, and frankly, it's just beginning," said House Speaker John Boehner, R- Ohio. "This is a bad deal with decades-long conse- quences for the security of the American people and our allies. And we'll use ev- ery tool at our disposal to stop, slow, and delay this agreement." Some House Republi- cans, buoyed by a favorable ruling this week in a law- suit they filed over Obama's health care law, have begun suggesting a lawsuit to stop the accord. Boehner called that "an option that is very possible." Despite poll numbers showing significant public concern about the agree- ment, opposition never seemed to catch fire among Democrats or voters over the summer. In the end, instead of registering uni- fied opposition to the deal, congressional Republicans turned the debate into the latest occasion for infight- ing within the party and be- tween the House and Sen- ate. FOREIGN POLICY Irandealsurvives:Democratsblockdisapprovalvote PABLOMARTINEZMONSIVAIS—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Senate Minority Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois arrive before speaking to reporters following the Senate vote on the Iran nuclear agreement on Capitol Hill on Thursday. By Steve Peoples The Associated Press WASHINGTON A wave of criticism from Republi- cans and Democrats alike rose Thursday after GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump insulted the physical appearance of Carly Fiorina, his party's only female White House contender. It's a new test for the can- didacy of the brash-talking Trump, whose standing in opinion polls has surged despite a series of com- ments that might well have doomed a traditional poli- tician. Republican Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal called Trump "a madman," while Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton said the billionaire real-estate mogul "seems to delight in insulting women every chance he gets." Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush dismissed Trump's latest comments as "small and inappropriate." And Fiorina, the target of Trump's latest insult, sug- gested she was "getting un- der his skin." In some ways, Thursday was a day no different from others in an unpredictable 2016 presidential primary campaign, a messy con- test in which Trump has emerged as a dominant and divisive figure. But the day also featured an escalation of criticism from Trump's detractors in both parties, who seem be multiplying. The spark was an inter- view published Wednes- day by Rolling Stone, in which Trump said Fiori- na's face would make her unelectable. The magazine quoted Trump as saying of the former technology ex- ecutive: "Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?" The chorus of anti- Trump Republicans now includes Bush, Jindal, Ken- tucky Sen. Rand Paul, for- mer New York Gov. George Pataki and retired neuro- surgeon Ben Carson, who is running second to Trump in several early polls and challenged Trump's Chris- tian faith this week. In a speech at the Na- tional Press Club in Wash- ington, Jindal called Trump an "egomaniacal madman who has no principles," de- scribing him as a "carnival act." "The silly summer sea- son is over," Jindal said. "It's time to get serious about saving our country. It's time to send Donald Trump back to reality TV." At a rally in Columbus, Ohio, at roughly the same time, Clinton took a swipe at Trump, whose deroga- tory remarks about Fiorina are merely his latest insults directed at a woman. "There is one particular candidate who just seems to delight in insulting women every chance he gets," Clin- ton told a cheering crowd of supporters. "I have to say, if he emerges I would love to debate him." The Fiorina remark is only the latest comment di- rected at women that's led to criticism of Trump. After the first GOP debate, dur- ing which Fox News' Megyn Kelly asked him about past derogatory comments about women, Trump launched a series of insults at the TV anchor — including tell- ing CNN that Kelly had "blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever" during the debate. Trump tried to paper over his remarks about Fio- rina in an interview with CNN, saying he wasn't talk- ing about her appearance but her "persona." PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN A er insulting fellow contender Fiorina, Trump tested by new wave of criticism SUSAN WALSH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a rally opposing the Iran nuclear deal outside the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM | NEWS | 3 B