9 Security-Minded GOP Senators Voted to Proceed on New START

Today's top nuclear policy stories, with excerpts in bullet form.

Stories we're following today, Thursday, December 16, 2010:

Senate Votes to Open Debate on New START - Felicia Sonmez and Mary Beth Sheridan for The Washington Post [link]

• The Senate on Wednesday voted to open debate on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, with lawmakers slated to begin debate on the measure Thursday morning.  The 66-to-32 vote was well above the simple-majority threshold necessary to proceed and was an auspicious first step for the U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty, which would require 67 votes for ratification.
• Joining Democrats in voting for the measure were Republican Sens. Bob Bennett (UT), Scott Brown (MA.), Susan Collins (ME), Lindsey Graham (SC), Richard Lugar (IN), John McCain (AZ), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Olympia Snowe (ME) and George Voinovich (OH) as well as independent Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (CT) and Bernie Sanders (VT).
• Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) missed the vote but Reuters, citing an aide, reported that he would provide the 67th needed for ratification. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) also did not vote.
• On Wednesday morning, it appeared that a reading of the bill was all but imminent. DeMint said through a spokesperson that he had "made it clear that he's going to use every tool available to stop it from being rammed through during the lame duck session."
• That led to a barrage of criticism from the White House, which slammed DeMint by name in a statement from White House press secretary Robert Gibbs. "This is a new low in putting political stunts ahead of our national security, and it is exactly the kind of Washington game-playing that the American people are sick of," Gibbs said.  
• After it was clear that the measure had passed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) acknowledged reports that the GOP might force a reading of the entire treaty. "Our view that is not essential," McConnell said.

Biden to Kerry: I'd Rather See New START Fail This Year Than Be Delayed to Next Year - Josh Rogin for "The Cable" [link]

• Leading Senate Democrats and Republicans held dueling press conferences on Capitol Hill Wednesday afternoon in what has turned into a high-stakes game of legislative chicken. Only three GOP senators have publicly announced their support for New START.
• One large looming question is whether the White House will insist on holding the vote if it hasn't secured assurances of the 67 "yes" votes needed for ratification when the clock runs out on the lame duck session.
• Acknowledging that it's the White House's decision whether to call the vote and risk defeat, Kerry said that Biden told him personally that the outlook in the next Congress is worse than the outlook now.  "We'd rather lose [the vote on New START] now with the crowd that's done the work on rather than go back and start from scratch [next session]," Kerry said that Biden told him.
• Kerry said that, after months of delaying the vote in order to try to accommodate Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), he and Reid were moving ahead without him and would eventually cut off debate, call a cloture vote, and roll the dice.
• Kerry said he was confident that Republicans will change their tune as the vote proceeds...He then called out to Republicans to put aside their complaints and work with Democrats to get it done.  "Send the country a message at Christmas time, that we have the ability to work together," Kerry said.

Christian Leaders Condemn Kyl/DeMint Attempt to Use Christmas to Derail New START - American Values Network [link]

• Prominent Christian leaders joined together to decry recent statements by Senator Kyl and Senator DeMint that a vote on New START would be “disrespect[ful]” to Christians and “sacrilegious.”
• These leaders argue that Christmas is the perfect justification for the Senate to be working to pass a treaty that is aimed at bringing peace on earth.
• “Senator Kyl’s and DeMint’s statements suggesting Christmas is a reason to delay action on a treaty aimed at reducing the threat of nuclear war is a misuse of the Christian holiday. If anything this time of year should be an encouragement for our leaders to work harder for peace on earth in response to God who wills peace for all. Peace is major theme of the Advent season and celebration of Christmas. The National Council of Churches looks forward to being able to celebrate ratification of this treaty to reduce nuclear stockpiles and improve verification. Any delay would be contrary to our commitment to peace on earth.” Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, General Secretary, National Council of Churches
• “I can think of no more appropriate time of year for the Senate to pass a treaty that promotes peace and good will. Surely that is the kind of gift that is worthy to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. For two Senators who have steadfastly opposed this on political grounds to now use Christmas to justify their position is a cynical manipulation of religion in the worst possible way. It is this manipulation of the Christmas season that is truly sacrilegious.” Rev. Jim Wallis, Founder Sojourners
• “Christians can disagree in good faith on the best way to apply our faith in the public arena, but the statements by Senator Kyl and DeMint are the worst examples of faith in politics. They have been working to kill START for weeks. A concern for the faithful isn’t driving their arguments or they would have mentioned faith earlier and Senator DeMint wouldn’t be working to push the debate until Christmas. This is cynical partisan politics masquerading as piety, and our leaders should be above that.” Eric Sapp, Executive Director, American Values Network

Note: In an interview with Andrea Mitchell, Vice President Joe Biden blasted senators saying, "Don't blame Christmas for unfinished business."  See a clip from the interview below.  

 Highlights of Senator Lugar's Floor Speech on New START [link]

• As we contend with the enormous security challenges of the 21st Century, the last thing we need is to reject a process that has mitigated the threat posed by Russia’s nuclear arsenal.
• For fifteen years, the START Treaty has helped to keep a lid on the U.S.-Russian nuclear rivalry. It established a working relationship on nuclear arms with a country that was our mortal enemy for four and a half decades. START’s transparency features assured both countries about the nuclear capabilities of the other. For us, that meant having American experts on the ground in Russia conducting inspections of nuclear weaponry. Because START expired on December 5, 2009, we have had no American inspectors in Russia for more than a year.
• Failure of the U.S. Senate to approve the treaty would result in an expansion of arms competition with Russia. It would guarantee a reduction in transparency and confidence-building procedures. It would diminish cooperation between U.S. and Russian defense establishments. It would complicate our military planning.
• Members of the Senate, Republicans and Democrats alike, have taken pride in supporting the military and respecting military views about steps necessary to protect our nation. Rejecting an unequivocal military opinion on a treaty involving nuclear deterrence would be an extraordinary position for the Senate to take.
• Bipartisan support for arms control treaties has been reflected in overwhelming votes in favor of the INF Treaty, START I, START II, and the Moscow Treaty. I believe the merits of New START should command similar bipartisan support.

Missile Defense Program Failed Second Test in a Row - Reuters [link]

• A test of the U.S. missile defense program failed Wednesday, the second in a row involving the system, the Defense Department said.
• The Missile Defense Agency provided no preliminary explanation of the failure, the seventh out of 15 tries for the program.
• "This is a tremendous setback for the testing of this complicated system," Riki Ellison, head of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a booster group, said in a statement. He said it raised troubling questions about the reliability of the 30 or so interceptor missiles deployed in silos in Alaska and California.
• A spokeswoman for Boeing, which manages the missile defense project, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
• The multibillion-dollar, ground-based bulwark is designed to shoot down a limited number of long-range ballistic missiles that could be tipped with chemical, biological or nuclear warheads. The system is part of a layered hedge against countries such as North Korea and Iran.

Kazakhstan Pushes Ahead With Nuclear Fuel Bank Plan - Richard Orange for The Telegraph [link]

• Kazakhstan is pushing ahead with an international plan for it to host a global nuclear fuel bank to allay fears of Iranian raw material enrichment, despite Iran's lukewarm response to the plan when it received the go-ahead from the world's nuclear watchdog at the start of this month.
• "The decision about setting up the international fuel bank has already been approved. There's no way back on this," Kairat Umarov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, said in an interview.
• "Considering that all the necessary conditions on infrastructure and on the safeguarding facilities, everything is in place, I don't think it will take too much time for us to establish the whole thing."
• The fuel bank is designed to allow countries like Iran to fuel future nuclear power plants, without the need for them to develop facilities to enrich uranium, which could them also to be used to make weapons-grade nuclear material.
• Sam Nunn, Chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, heralded the fuel bank plan as "a breakthrough in global co-operation to enable peaceful uses of nuclear energy".
• "If every country interested in nuclear energy also chooses to pursue uranium enrichment, the risk of proliferation of dangerous nuclear materials and weapons would grow beyond the tipping point. The IAEA fuel bank now gives countries an alternative to that choice and direction."