Senator Feingold's Statement to Condi Rice: "U.S./India Atomic Energy "..

[radio4progressives]

I don't know if anyone caught this, i know it doesn't seem as important as the Plame Leak Investigation - but just in case anyone might be interested i thought I'd post it... I suppose this hearing might be archived on C-Span..(?)

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold
At the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing
"U.S. -India Atomic Energy Cooperation"
April 5, 2006

Mr. Chairman, thank you for holding today’s hearing with Secretary Rice on the proposed United States-Indian nuclear energy agreement. This subject is extremely important and I am pleased that this committee is continuing to take a close look at this complex issue. Madam Secretary, I appreciate you spending time with us today on this very important issue.

I’ll be straight with you. I’ve been troubled by the way the Administration has handled this issue from the start: not consulting with Congress prior to announcing a deal that requires changes to U.S. law; submitting legislation asking Congress to remove itself from any oversight; and, pushing Congress to approve this legislation without the benefit of seeing the agreement.

The process problems are not my main concern, however. After reviewing what is known about the deal, which admittedly is not much at this time, I would be hard pressed to explain to my constituents why this agreement is so vital to our national interests, and why it has to be done now. I agree that India is an increasingly important partner and player on the world stage. I also agree that U.S.-India relations are extremely important. Increased efforts to enhance our relationship with India are important. However, our relationship with India does not rest on this one deal, nor should it. Whether this deal goes through or not, India will likely continue to pursue its relationships with China and Iran in ways that won’t always be in our interest. I also find the energy arguments for this deal unconvincing. India has tremendous and growing energy needs but nuclear energy is not necessarily the answer. There are far more cost-effective, responsible and immediate ways to tackle that problem. Finally, this deal is not guaranteed to promise direct financial opportunities for U.S. companies. India has promised no preferential treatment for the United States and companies from countries such as Russia and France may be better situated to benefit financially.

In addition to providing us with a better rationale for this agreement, the Administration must also provide us with a more detailed analysis of the potential negative impact it could have on the nonproliferation coalitions and policy we’ve painstakingly put together over the last 30 years. The proliferation of nuclear technology, know how, and material may be the top national security threat we face. How does this deal impact that threat? How does this deal impact fragile relationships with countries like Pakistan, South Africa, or China? The answers we’ve received thus far—mostly assurances that this deal is “strategically important”—do not suffice.

Today will be an opportunity for us all to discuss and make some progress on these very serious issues. I appreciate that Secretary Rice has come before the Committee today and I hope that she will provide us with much needed clarity on the proposed agreement with India.

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[DanCa]

1. Feingold is a good man . I am glad he's on our side.

He's also one of the few senators that I'd trust to run for President.

[radio4progressives]

Me too.. I found his statement refreshing...

I don't know what other Dems positions on this was, but I'm thankful somebody raised these questions and issues - they are spot on.

I'd like to know what her response to this was on the one hand, but on the other hand, she's such a fucking liar - she can't even give us the time a day with a straight answer. so, nevermind.

[radio4progressives]

2. self delete duplicate

:shrug:

[countmyvote4real]

3. He should be POTUS sooner than later. n/t

[radio4progressives]

4. I wouldn't mind seeing him as POTUS...

hell of a lot better than anyone else on the radar screen, other than maybe Gore..

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

5. Feingold as always gets right to the heart of the matter

I’ll be straight with you. I’ve been troubled by the way the Administration has handled this issue from the start: not consulting with Congress prior to announcing a deal that requires changes to U.S. law; submitting legislation asking Congress to remove itself from any oversight; and, pushing Congress to approve this legislation without the benefit of seeing the agreement.

That's at the core of the Bush Administration's major screw-up here. You don't go offering up an agreement that would violate decades of US treaty-based laws like that, without even consulting Congress or experts in this field within the administration itself. It's yet another indication of how unprofessional and incompetent Bush and his colleagues are. They're like the Fed-Ex of foul-ups-- they constantly, reliably screw up just about anything they handle.