I’ve been looking for a platform to share my perspective on issues in Washington, and I’m hoping that Medium can be that medium. I can’t promise what I post here will be profound or even insightful, but readers can be assured that the thoughts expressed are my own, usually written at 35,000 feet in seat 10-C, as I chase the setting sun back to Arizona each week. I’ll try to make these Medium missives unsenatorial. In other words, they will be brief.

Like all of my Republican colleagues, I am opposed to the Iran deal, but I think we mishandled the process these past few weeks. We should have forced a final vote on the issue. Instead, the culmination of all of the hard work put in by Corker, Cardin and others to give Congress a role by passing the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act ended with a whimper — another failed procedural vote.

The Democrats offered consent to proceed to a final vote as long as the threshold was set at 60, rather than a simple majority. We Republicans should have taken the offer. There is value in having a vote on final passage, whatever the threshold. On the other hand, there is little value in having the President veto the disapproval resolution knowing that there are insufficient votes to override that veto. We’ve seen the end of this movie. There is no reason to drag it out, spotlighting fissures in our foreign policy for our allies and adversaries.

Coming next week, it’s that time of year again. The federal government is running out of money. What to do. What to do.