*Never can trust a turncoat.*
*B* *http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/chuck-schumer-iran-deal-121275.html?ml=ri <http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/chuck-schumer-iran-deal-121275.html?ml=ri>* *Schumer working the phones on Iran* He calls colleagues to explain his decision and assure them he will not be whipping opposition. By John Bresnahan <http://www.politico.com/reporters/JohnBresnahan.html> 8/11/15 6:17 PM EDT Updated 8/12/15 5:07 PM EDT With liberal groups furious over his opposition to the Iran nuclear deal, Sen. Chuck Schumer has been quietly reaching out to dozens of his colleagues to explain his decision and assure them he would not be whipping opposition to the deal, according to Democratic senators and aides. After news of his decision to vote “no” on the Iran agreement first leaked Thursday night, Schumer (D-N.Y.) has spoken to 20 to 30 fellow Democrats about why he will vote with the GOP leadership against the deal, sources said. Schumer had been planning to make these calls on Friday, before his position on Iran became public, but was not able to do so because it had leaked the night before. Story Continued Below In these conversations, Schumer has been walking through his position on the Iran agreement, the product of lengthy negotiations between the leading world powers and the Iranian government. Schumer, though, is not lobbying his colleagues to vote against the agreement when the Senate takes up a “resolution of disapproval” next month, several undecided senators said during interviews. The disapproval resolution is expected to win the 60 votes needed to overcome any Democratic filibuster. The real question, however, is whether President Barack Obama can rally the 34 senators he needs to uphold a veto of the resolution. Right now, the Senate vote is too close to call, although Obama’s support for a veto override appears more solid among House Democrats, with three more coming out on Tuesday in favor of the agreement. Schumer’s opposition to the Iran deal also does not seem to have had any impact on his standing as the presumptive Democratic leader-in-waiting. Support for Schumer inside the Democratic Caucus remains strong, despite longstanding complaints about him from the progressive wing of the party. “[Schumer] called me for that purpose. The news got out kind of ahead of his planned announcement,” said Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who has not taken a public stance yet on the Iran deal. “He wanted to tell a bunch of us that he meant to call us first, but the news got ahead of him, and now he was calling to just explain and apologize not to have called first.” Whitehouse added that Schumer would not suffer any backlash when Democrats pick a replacement for Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. Reid is retiring at the end of this Congress. “We’ve all got a lot of admiration for Chuck’s skills,” Whitehouse said. “And we’re a caucus that has a lot of divergent views on some very important issues. That doesn’t bother other members of the caucus on other issues, so I don’t see this as a problem for Chuck on this one.” Whitehouse said he expects to make a decision on Iran “sometime next week,” and wants to consult with fellow Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed before any announcement. “If I had to make a guesstimation, I would say there will be enough senators to sustain the president’s veto, and there’s a chance — just a chance — of keeping the number below 60,” Whitehouse said. “I wouldn’t say there’s a big chance, but there’s an outside chance.” Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a close Schumer ally and another Democrat who is undecided on Iran, said he actually reached out to the New York Democrat first. Like Whitehouse, Manchin said Schumer was careful not to whip him on the nuclear agreement. Manchin described himself as “leaning yes” on the agreement. “I called Chuck Schumer and when I heard all the crap going on, and all the dialogue back-and-forth,” Manchin said during a Tuesday interview. “Chuck is a professional, and he understands that on these extremely personal, important decisions, each senator has to come to their own belief, their own inner peace if you will, about that decision.” “I called my friend and said, ‘Buddy, I want to re-sign up my [previous] commitment to you to be the leader of our caucus,” Manchin added. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who has yet to announce a position, told Yahoo News that she had spoken with Schumer in recent days as well. “He understands that this a tough call,” McCaskill said of Schumer. “He’s gonna respect everyone’s decision.” McCaskill, who called Schumer “a dear friend,” said it was “too early to tell” how many Democrats would join the New York Democrat in voting “no.” Schumer will remain back home in New York this week handling local issues, and he is planning on avoiding national media appearances. The veteran lawmaker did reiterate his position on Iran during a news conference on Monday in Rochester, asserting that Obama should seek a “better deal” from the Iranian government before agreeing to loosen a sanction regime that has severely impacted the Iranian government. Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry insist that position is unrealistic. “Some say the only answer to this is war. I don’t believe so,” Schumer told reporters, reiterating some of the points he raised in a long statement released Thursday night. “I believe we should go back and try to get a better deal,” he added. “The nations of the world should join us in that.” A furious lobbying campaign is taking place over the Iran agreement, with Obama, Kerry, Vice President Joe Biden and other top administration officials personally working to win over fence-sitting Democrats. Groups on both sides of the issue — most notably the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee — are pouring millions of dollars into TV ad campaigns in a bid to sway undecided lawmakers. At this point, there are 17 Senate Democrats who have publicly committed to backing the Iran agreement, with a dozen more leaning “yes.” Only a small number of Democrats, including Schumer and Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey — currently under indictment on federal corruption charges — are considered firm “no’s.” Neither Reid nor Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.), the No. 4 Senate Democrat, have taken a public stance on the issue, but senior Democratic aides believe they will both come out in favor. Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Schumer’s onetime roommate and former rival for Democratic leader, is leading the effort to back the accord. Some of the key remaining undecided Senate Democrats include Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking member on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Chris Coons of Delaware, another member of that panel; Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters of Michigan; and Jon Tester of Montana, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Stabenow is very close to Schumer, and Peters has supported legislation to impose more stringent sanctions on Iran during the nuclear negotiations, a move opposed by the White House. 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