http://thehill.com/policy/defense/237862-senate-democrats-have-new-point-man-on-iran By Kristina Wong and Jordain Carney - 04/04/15 01:52 PM EDT
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) is being thrust into the center of the tense Capitol Hill debate over Iran.
Cardin has been tapped to replace Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) as the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which is set to consider two separate measures that could put President Obama’s nuclear framework deal with Iran in jeopardy.
Obama on Thursday hailed the framework as an historic achievement as he began an aggressive sales pitch to get Congress to back it.
The danger for the White House is that Congress will move forward with legislation imposing new sanctions on Iran, which could crush the delicate negotiations as diplomats work to finalize a deal by June 30.
Menendez was seen as a hard-liner on Iran, but he was willing to back off on the sanctions legislation to give negotiators breathing room.
Cardin has also shown a willingness to give the White House space, and he has not signed on as a co-sponsor to sanctions legislation backed by Menendez and Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).
The Maryland Democrat has offered public support for the sanctions, but also signed on to a letter earlier this year in which Democrats in the Senate pledged to give the administration time to negotiate with Iran and other countries.
Outside observers believe that Cardin more that Menendez is willing to give the president space.
Larry Hanauer, a senior policy analyst at the RAND Corporation and former congressional staffer, suggested that Cardin would be less able than Menendez to muster Democratic opposition to the deal. Hanauer also described Cardin as more likely than Menendez to give the administration space to let negotiations play out.
After Thursday’s announcement, Cardin signaled no change in his position while calling for Congress to have a role in the process.
“Congress has a role to play in this process and I look forward to reviewing all the details of this long-sought agreement that Secretary of State John Kerry and our allies have negotiated,” he said.
Cardin’s ascension is largely a win for the White House. Menendez, who has been indicted by the Justice Department on corruption charges, used his leadership position to stake out a leading role as a Democratic critic of the administration’s handling of Iran and Cuba.
The case against Menendez has fueled GOP suggestions that Menendez is being punished for his views. The outspoken New Jersey Democrat had a sharp exchange with Obama at a Senate Democratic retreat earlier this year in which he forcefully called for new sanctions against Tehran.
Cardin, 71, is a Washington insider who served in the U.S. House for two decades before his 2006 election to the Senate.
He has signaled support for but not signed on as a co-sponsor to another Iran bill opposed by the White House that Foreign Relations is set to consider on April 14. That bill, from Menendez and Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), would allow Congress to review any deal with Iran.
The Obama administration has threatened to veto Iran legislation before a June 30 deadline to finalize details. While Cardin does believe that Congress should weigh in on a deal, he suggested Thursday that he wants to work to address the administration’s concerns.
“Congressional review is appropriate,” Cardin told The Baltimore Sun on Thursday. “But I want to work out some of the concerns the White House has — they have some legitimate issues.”
Tom Collina, director of policy for the Ploughshares Fund, said that while it may be “too soon” to predict what Cardin taking the ranking member spot will mean, he said that it could lead to a more “successful balance” between a Congressional role in an Iran deal and letting negotiators finish up a deal.
“He seems to support a role for Congress in the Iran deal,” he said. “But that he doesn't want to upset the negotiations.”
Cardin has been unafraid to disagree with the White House on a host of issues.
He joined with Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in writing a letter opposing any U.S. efforts at the United Nations to bypass Israel on a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
“Our longstanding commitment to Israel transcends any one leader or government,” the March 30 letter said.
Cardin, who is up for reelection in 2018, also disagrees with the president on arming Ukrainian forces fighting Russian insurgents.
He has criticized the White House’s proposal for an authorization for use of military force (AUMF) against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria because he said it amounts to a “blank check to keep America at war.”
Unlike the Cuban-American Menendez, however, Cardin supported the president's decision to begin normalizing relations with Cuba.
Cardin gave a hint of his priorities in his statement Thursday, which mentioned the AUMF, Ukraine and growing instability in Yemen and Tunisia.
“I plan to continue actively pressing for greater consequences for Russia as a result of its aggression against Ukraine and blatant disregard for its international commitments, human rights and the rule of law,” he added.
