Chairman Kerry Statement On The New START Treaty

[ProSense]

Chairman Kerry Statement On The New START Treaty

Washington, DC– Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) today released the following statement after President Obama announced that an agreement had been reached with Russia on a new START Treaty:

“I know there has been a partisan breakdown in recent years, but we can renew the Senate’s bipartisan tradition on arms control and approve ratification of this new treaty in 2010. I know that can happen. This is a moment for statesmanship. As soon as the President sends the agreement to the Senate, we will appeal to all our colleagues to set aside preconceptions and partisanship and consider the treaty on its merits. We can’t squander this opportunity to reset both our relations with Russia and our role as the world leader on nuclear nonproliferation. This is a major commitment by both countries to reduce their nuclear arsenals and an important step in solidifying our relationship with Russia. Let’s get it done.”

[karynnj]

1. Very nice statement

One nearly unnoticed thing in the Senate is how John Kerry has reset the tone in the Senate Foreign Relations committee to one where there is mutual respect and usually a sense of collegiality and civility. On article when he first took over the committee wrote of how one of the first things he did was that he and Teresa hosted a dinner for all the committee members and their wives. The point being that knowing each other better would lead to more understanding and better relations. Dick Lugar, the Republican ranking member, had shown similar civility to Kerry and other Democrats when he chaired the committee.

Over Obama's term, Kerry and Lugar have managed to pass the needed SFRC bills with little drama. Additionally, and more surprising, they have between them managed to defeat all the kneejerk, posturing resolutions from people like Kyl against unpopular countries and organizations -- which went further than the administration wanted to go and which would hurt diplomacy.

It will be incredible if Kerry and Lugar manage to get the 67 votes needed to approve this treaty. If it happens, it will be one of the best bipartisan efforts in years.

[ProSense]

2. Kerry met with Obama

We know Sen. Lugar is on board. Let's hope politics doesn't overshadowed this.

Chairman Kerry And President Obama Discuss New U.S.-Russia START Treaty

“The President is absolutely committed to getting this done and he is confident that real progress is being made in the negotiations on a successor to the START treaty. With toughness, skill, and persistence in these negotiations, the Administration has done an excellent job advancing America’s security interests and I believe the final product will deserve broad bipartisan support.

“A well-designed treaty will send an important message to the rest of the world that America is prepared to lead efforts with key stakeholders to reduce the threat of nuclear weapons. It will strengthen the global non-proliferation regime by showing that the two major nuclear powers are committed to force reductions, transparency, and strategic stability. And it will strengthen our cooperative efforts with Russia to address other threats to our security. Finally, this progress will lay a strong foundation for multilateral discussions in next month’s Nuclear Security Summit and at the Eighth Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May.

“Once the treaty and its associated documents are completed and submitted to the Senate, Senator Lugar and I look forward to holding hearings and giving the treaty immediate and careful attention. Our role will be to understand the treaty in all its complexity and to assess its implications for our foreign and military policy. To prepare for the submission of this treaty, we intend to begin hearings between Easter and Memorial Day on the historical record of strategic arms control.

“I assured the President that we strongly support his efforts, and that if the final negotiations and all that follows go smoothly, we will work to ensure that the Senate can act on the treaty this year.”

[wisteria]

3. A wonderful foreign policy achievement. Senator Kerry's statement is great.

And, SOS Clinton deserves a lot of credit for this.

[karynnj]

4. Here's a nice Daily Kos article with a huge amount of information on the treaty

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/26/851145/-Presidents-Obama-and-Medvedev-Announce-a-New-START-Treaty

[ProSense]

5. Cool. Thanks. n/t

[karynnj]

6. Here's the NYT article

Ending a year of sometimes topsy-turvy negotiations, Mr. Obama and President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia sealed the deal in a morning telephone call, confirming resolution of the last outstanding details. They then announced they will fly to Prague to sign the treaty on April 8 in a ceremony designed to showcase improved relations between the two countries.

<snip>
Mrs. Clinton said that she did not anticipate any trouble getting the agreement ratified by the Senate, noting that arms control agreements in the past have sailed through. And, in a moment of levity, she joked that the Obama administration would be happy to help the Russian government get the treaty through the Duma.

“President Obama has said that he will send Rahm Emanuel to Moscow” to help out, she said, laughing, referring to Mr. Obama’s bulldog chief of staff. “We all endorsed that offer.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/world/europe/27start.html?src=me

I think the Daily Kos article is more accurate on the difficulty of getting Senate confirmation. Is there any substantive piece of legislation that has passed with 67 plus votes? Where Kerry and Lugar have done a fantastic job of making good cases for legislation this year, this is nowhere as easy as Clinton suggests. The fact is that the initial treaty was signed under Bush, after Reagan started the negotiations and then an update was passed under Bush. Now, as Democrats have favored reducing nuclear weapons, it seems that these treaties are far easier to pass under a Republican President, who Republicans want to support. I wonder if the idea was to sound unconcerned because that might make it easier. But if this passes, it will likely need the legislative skills of Kerry and Lugar and lots of administration support.

[Cha]

7. Thank you, PS..makes great reading! nt