Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on Saturday said he is impressed by Sen. Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) rejection of President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.
The 2016 GOP presidential candidate praised Schumer for making a tough decision earlier this week despite immense scrutiny from other Democrats.
“Thank God Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, has come out and said he will oppose the Iranian deal,” Huckabee said at the RedState Gathering in Atlanta.
{mosads}Huckabee argued Iranian leadership is shortchanging the Obama administration in the historic agreement.
“We are being played for chumps,” he said. “Our relationship with Iran is that we are trusting the untrustworthy.”
“I know for sure this is no deal America should sign on for, not at all,” Huckabee added.
Obama is presenting his agreement with Iran as the best method for avoiding military conflict over the Islamic republic’s push to obtain nuclear weapons.
His agreement would ease economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for greater restrictions on its atomic energy capabilities.
Huckabee charged that Obama is distorting the options facing the international community and how it handles Tehran.
“[It is] a ridiculous straw man argument,” he said of Obama’s sales pitch for supporting the deal.
“We don’t have the relationships we once had,” Huckabee added. “Not even with Canada do we have a better relationship. Under this president, we have trust and vilify.”
The former Arkansas governor also argued for a stronger military as a deterrent against antagonistic countries like Iran.
“Let’s make sure the world knows nobody is going to beat America,” Huckabee said. “The bully in school never picks on the kid who can whip his butt.”
Schumer announced Thursday that he plans on opposing the Obama administration’s accord with Iran.
His move hurts Obama’s push for congressional approval of the deal, as Schumer is likely the future Democratic leader in the Senate.
“Advocates on both sides have strong cases for their points of view that cannot simply be dismissed,” Schumer said Thursday night.
“This has made evaluating the agreement a difficult and deliberate endeavor, and after deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of disapproval,” he said.
“To me, the very real risk is Iran will not moderate and will, instead, use the agreement to pursue its nefarious goals is too great,” added Schumer.
Congress is currently within a 60-day window for reviewing the Iran deal’s intricate details.
Lawmakers will vote for a resolution either approving or disapproving the landmark diplomatic agreement next month.
The Republican-led push to disapprove will likely win out, at which point Obama will veto the disapproval. After that, Congress would need a two-thirds majority from both the House and Senate to override the veto.