The good news is that he won't be a Senator much longer and his influence is tied to BHO whose term expires in four years.
The bad news is that BHO will be handing out deals like this to many career politicians to get his agenda, not just AWB, rubber stamped. Most second term presidents experience lower approval ratings and at this point I don't think BHO gives a flying F-bomb about second term approval ratings but instead is ready to go full throttle on his true agenda-altering the very fabric of the United States OR destroying it. Both outcomes are acceptable to him.