The Washington Post reports that shepherding the new members on this trip are House Minority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), whose Democratic trip began August 3, and Republican Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who will shepherd his party's members on their trip, which begins August 8 (see above).
"Hoyer and McCarthy's offices declined to share the names of the lawmakers traveling on the trip, as did AIPAC.
"But PowerPost confirmed the trip includes a number of House Democrats that many lobbyists consider critical votes on the deal, including Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Mark Takai (D-Hawaii), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Gwen Graham (D-Fla.), and Hoyer himself."
These Democrats should be watched as the September 17 deadline approaches.
This year's trip comes during the 60-day study period when new members will be confirmed in their decision on whether to support their President on a crucial foreign policy issue, or else support a foreign leader, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Republican House members are expected to say no to the agreement. After President Obama's expected veto of the House bill, the GOP will have to deliver sufficient votes to override that veto.
The Hill reports that Israel is especially eager to meet (solidify relations?) with three freshman members, Reps. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) and Mimi Walters (R-Calif.).
McSally, a retired Air Force colonel and the first U.S. female combat pilot, told The Hill, "I've had six deployments to the Middle East and Afghanistan in my time in uniform, and I've been over to Israel as a tourist."
She added that this is a critical time to be going "to hear from our close ally." McSally is on record as opposing the deal. So why does she need to "hear from our close ally" if her mind is already made up?
We can only hope that the retired colonel found time to hear her Commander in Chief's speech Wednesday as she prepared to head for Tel Avi to hear from "our close ally."
The New Yorker's Robin Wright writes that Obama "framed the deal as the latest step in a half century of American policy to avert nuclear confrontation, invoking Kennedy's diplomacy during the Cuban missile crisis and the arms negotiations with the Soviet Union launched by Ronald Reagan."
"Under both Democratic and Republican Presidents," he said, "the historic Non-Proliferation Treaty and the SALT and START treaties introduced arms control..."
Obama mentioned that he had been forced to make a lot of tough calls as President. "But whether or not this deal is good for American security is not one of those calls," he said. "It's not even close."
The Republican-introduced resolution of disapproval of the agreement with Iran will be voted on no later than September 17th.
Obama called this congressional vote "the most important since its vote on the 2003 invasion of Iraq."
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