UPDATED: Senators Casey, Kaufman AND FRANKEN team up with Biden to Halt Conservative Obstructionism Posted by Kelsey Hartigan

Before top military brass, leading foreign policy officials and members of the NGO community, Vice-President Biden once again declared yesterday, “The spread of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat facing the country and, I would argue, facing humanity.”  The Administration has developed an agenda to thwart this threat—coupling nuclear stockpile reductions, aimed at eventual elimination, with investments that support our safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal.  

Some of the measures on the nuclear security agenda will require ratification by the Senate, where some conservatives have already begun politicizing our national security.  Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) has led the charge—attempting to skew the debate on the new START agreement before negotiators have even finalized the document. Earlier this week, Kyl, McCain and Lieberman penned yet another letter—a practice they’ve evidently become quite fond of—expressing “concern” that the Russians are holding out for concessions on missile defense. Max Bergman from the Center for American Progress describes what’s really going on:  “The Senators problem is not with missile defense it is with START and with reducing nuclear weapon stockpiles more generally. Yet these three Senators aren’t willing to simply oppose the effort to get a new START treaty, because flat out opposition to continuing Ronald Reagan’s treaty would reflect a new tea-partyesque level of extremism. We are after all talking about a treaty that forces the Russians to remove nuclear weapons currently pointed at the United States.”

Thankfully, these senators are in the minority.  As the Vice President reminded the audience yesterday at NDU, “Our goal of a world without nuclear weapons has been endorsed by leading voices in both parties. These include two former Secretaries of State from Republican administrations, Henry Kissinger and George Shultz; President Clinton’s Secretary of Defense Bill Perry; and my former colleague Sam Nunn, for years the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Together, these four statesmen called eliminating nuclear weapons ‘a bold initiative consistent with America’s moral heritage.’ During the 2008 Presidential campaign, both the President and Senator McCain supported the same objective.” 

Perhaps this is yet another example of John McCain forgetting what he said, either way, strong statements of support emerged yesterday following the address.

Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, expressed support for Vice President Biden’s speech on protecting our country from nuclear threats:                                  

“I want to applaud the Administration’s efforts to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons that could end up in the hands of terrorists. This is the most serious national security threat that we face and I support the Administration’s nonproliferation efforts to secure loose nuclear material around the world, negotiate an arms agreement with Russia that has strong verification standards and ensure that the U.S. nuclear stockpile is safe, secure and effective.”

“The Administration's 2011 budget request also bolsters the case for the eventual ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  A full investment in our nuclear weapons infrastructure will mean that the United States can continue to maintain its nuclear weapons infrastructure without testing.  We haven’t tested a nuclear weapon since 1992 because we now have the technical means to ensure the reliability and safety of our stockpile.  I applaud the Administration’s responsible approach to securing our nuclear weapons and look forward to working to ensure that funding for these programs is protected during the appropriations process.”  

Senator Ted Kaufman (D-Del.) also issued a statement of support. “I applaud the Obama administration for making nonproliferation, the reduction of nuclear weapons, and the safety of the nuclear arsenal top priorities of its national security agenda. As Vice President Biden outlined yesterday, the administration will continue to do everything in its power to prevent nuclear proliferation and modernize our nuclear stockpile and facilities.

  

Kaufman continued, “I strongly support the administration’s commitment to a follow-on agreement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia, and hope Congress will ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). President Obama shares my deep concern about the safety of our aging nuclear arsenal, and I hope Congress will support his increased budget request for maintaining our nuclear stockpile and modernizing our nuclear infrastructure.  I look forward to working with the administration to continue to promote nonproliferation and arms reductions goals so that we can pass on a safer world to future generations.”

Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) also voiced support, saying, “I applaud the Vice President for laying out the administration’s plan to reduce the threat from nuclear weapons.  It demonstrates their serious commitment to protecting our safe, secure, and effective nuclear deterrent while working toward the reduction and eventual elimination of nuclear weapons.
 
Franken further stated, “I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration on an upcoming strategic weapons reduction treaty with Russia as well as long overdue ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.  I also look forward to taking up the President’s budget, which makes a renewed commitment to the maintenance and modernization of our nuclear arsenal and the experts who are crucial to it.”

As the Vice President concluded yesterday, “Together, we will lead this world toward a world of less reliance, and ultimately no reliance, on nuclear weapons.”  The key here is “together.”  Senators Casey, Kaufman and Franken understand that and have shown support for protecting our national security.  Perhaps someone should send a letter to Kyl, Lieberman, and McCain—explaining that.

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Franken further stated, “I look forward to working with my colleagues and the administration on an upcoming strategic weapons reduction treaty with Russia as well as long overdue ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. I also look forward to taking up the President’s budget, which makes a renewed commitment to the maintenance and modernization of our nuclear arsenal and the experts who are crucial to it sesli chat sesli sohbet