For Hillary to win the next election...
The Democrats have to pretend that nothing going on in the world is their fault. That everything the administration has done in the Middle East up to now was brilliant. Changing their policies in the face of political opposition now is the last thing they can afford to do.
The real heart of the matter:
One direction in this issue risks keeping refugees overseas unnecessarily. The other direction risks American lives. You can flip the odds around if you want, but those are the endpoints.
The Democrats have made their choice. And yes, it's for political reasons. It's time they start figuring out which population they're supposed to be working for.