CBS: W.H. ‘Relieved’ When ‘Widespread Criticism’ over Iran Deal Didn’t ‘Materialize’

GLOR: “Iran state TV surprised everyone on Thursday with live coverage of President Obama praising the agreement. The president now has to sell this framework to skeptical politicians on Capitol Hill and Major Garrett is at the White House where President Obama is already calling congressional leaders. Major, good morning to you.”
GARETT: “Good morning. The White House will be briefing key lawmakers on classified and unclassified details next week. That will be followed by extensive public hearings. The imperative here is to keep Congress from passing new economic sanctions on Iran or demanding full congressional approval of the entire deal. On this, the White House could face veto fights on both fronts because skepticism is bipartisan."
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GARETT (voice-over): “President Obama warned Congress that meddling with the emerging nuclear deal with Iran could bring the U.S. closer to war."
OBAMA: “If Congress kills this deal, it's is the United States that will be blamed for the failure of diplomacy. International unity will collapse and the path to conflict will widen.”
GARETT (voice-over): “The president telephoned top Republican and Democratic leaders to outline the deal. Many lawmakers reacted cautiously insisting on more details. Democratic Senator Charles Schumer of New York, typically a strong White House ally, said nothing positive, saying only the deal deserves careful, rigorous, and deliberate analysis, adding he will give it a very careful look. Freshman Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has seen enough.”
COTTON: “The terms today are not as bad as I had feared. They’re much worse. They put Iran on a path to a nuclear weapons whether Iran follows these terms or whether Iran brakes those terms. The only blame that's deserved is on President Obama for starting down this dangerous path and now continuing down to it."
GARETT (voice-over): “The president insists Iran can be forced to open up its nuclear program to international inspections and denied any pathway to a nuclear weapon. To keep Congress in check, the White House will need more Democratic allies than it has now.”
COONS: “I think there's some important work for the administration to do to persuade Democrats that this is a framework that they should support. And there's a lot of work that's not been done.”
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GARETT: “Top officials here said they were bracing for widespread intense criticism and were relieved it did materialize. Senator Coons whom we just heard said it would be wise for the White House not to underestimate the number of question the lawmakers still have and the political damage imprecise answers could do to what the president already considers to be a signature diplomatic accomplishment."