A rare, perhaps fateful coincidence in late September could present us with what Washington’s political pundits call “a perfect storm.” The date of Congress’ decisive vote on the agreement between Iran and the superpowers could coincide with the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. Attending that event will be none other than the agreement’s great nemesis, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will appear in dangerously close proximity to US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. If a scenario like that played out in a Hollywood movie, it would immediately lose credibility. And yet, under certain circumstances, this exact scene could play out in real life.
The 60 days Congress has been given to study the agreement began on July 20. The first vote will take place soon. It is most likely that Obama will lose that vote, but he could veto the decision within 10 days. It will then take a few more days for the truly decisive vote, in which two-thirds of the Senate will be needed to override the president’s veto.
