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President Obama Gets Nuclear Arms Treaty Approval (12.22.10)

12.22.10--Washington--The Senate approved a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia on Wednesday, giving President Barack Obama a major foreign policy victory.  With this treaty, he achieves a major campaign promise to improve relations with Russia and to limit the spread of atomic weapons to other countries.

The Senate voted 71-26 in favor of the new START treaty, a treaty that was supported by every living ex-president and ex-secretary of state. It was passed after vigorous opposition by Republicans.

"This treaty will enhance our leadership to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace of a world without them," Obama told reporters after the vote was announced.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the agreement marked, "a new gold standard for concluding agreements of this kind."

"Not only does the treaty facilitate a strengthening of the security of Russia and the USA but it will also have a positive effect on international stability and security in general," Lavrov said in an interview with the Interfax news agency.

President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the treaty in April and it still needs to be approved by the Russian parliament. But, the dominant United Russia party is backed by the Kremlin, so ratification is expected.

Still, Russian lawmakers will need to review amendments added by Republican opponents.

"Taking into account the amendments added by senators, we are forced to undertake a deep and thorough analysis of the text ... since we are speaking about the national security of our country," Leonid Slutsky, deputy chair of parliament's international affairs committee, told Interfax.

Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the treaty would send a message to Iran and North Korea "that the international community remains united to restrain the nuclear ambitions of countries that operate outside the law."

"We send a message that the two countries that possess 90 percent of the world's nuclear weapons are fulfilling their obligations to reduce their arsenals in a responsible manner," Kerry said.

The treaty limits each country's long-range, strategic nuclear weapons to no more than 1,550 within seven years. Deployed missile launchers will be limited to 700.

A year ago the original START ended, and with it, the inspection process. This agreement restores that process.

The new treaty has broad diplomatic and military support. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said it would make a "significant contribution" to regional security and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said it was a "clear message" supporting nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.

http://www.reuters.com

Republicans Vote Against START Nuclear Arms Control Agreement with Russia (12.18.10)

12.18.10 - Washington –Today, Republican Senators, led by Senator John McCain (R-Az), tried to pass an amendment to the new START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) in the hope of blocking the treaty.

 Obama Treaty Supported by All Living U.S. Presidents
and Former Secretaries of State

The Obama-Medvedyev START agreement has the support of essentially every present and past US foreign policy expert--including all living U.S. presidents, Democrat and Republican, and their secretaries of state. 

The agreement would mean that US inspectors would be able to monitor Russia's arsenal again, something they have been unable to do since the previous treaty ended in December 2009. 

It also restricts Russia and the U.S. to a maximum of 1,550 deployed warheads--a decrease of about 30% from the limit in 2002--and 800 bombers and launchers.

McCain's amendment, if it had passed, would have killed the treaty by forcing it to go back to the bargaining table. Democrats were able to defeat the amendment 37 - 59

On Saturday, President Obama surprised the senate when he sent a letter to senate leaders Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell, reassuring them that he still plans to deploy U.S. missile defense systems and that he rejects Russia's position that such a deployment would justify their withdrawal from START.

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) read the president's letter to the Senate and Republicans seemed a bit thrown off by it.

The treaty was signed by Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in April. At that time, Russia said they would quit the treaty if they were threatened by a build-up of U.S. defensive weapons.

In his letter, Obama addressed the Russian position, saying, "The United States did not and does not agree with the Russian statement."

"Regardless of Russia's actions in this regard, as long as I am president, and as long as the Congress provides the necessary funding, the United States will continue to develop and deploy effective missile defenses to protect the United States, our deployed forces, and our allies and partners," the President wrote.

51 votes are needed to modify the treaty and Republicans only hold 42 seats in the 100-seat Senate, meaning their proposed amendments are likely to fail.

On Wednesday, senators voted 66-32 to discuss the treaty. This strong showing was a victory for Obama, since Democrats need 67 votes to ratify START.

 READ MORE:  http://news.yahoo.com

House Passes Bipartisan $725 Billion Military Authorization Bill for 2011 (12.17.10)

12.17.10--Washington– On Friday, the House voted $160 billion for the Pentagon for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan for the coming year. 

The 341-48 vote on the defense authorization bill came after Republicans got Democrats to remove the repeal of "Don't aks, don't tell" and a proision that would allow funding of abortions at overseas military facilities.

Congress does not give money to the Defense Department, but can influence policy by authorizing spending levels through the defense authorization bill.

This bill approved $725 billion for defense programs, including $160 billion for overseas combat.

The bill included a 1.4 percent pay raise for troops and a guarantee of health care for children through the TRICARE program until they are 26 years of age.

It also continued to keep the Defense Department from closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, and it continued to forbid the transfer of prisoners to the U.S.

On Thursday, the administration said that the war in Afghanistan would continue for years and that few troops would be likely to leave in 2012. The bill was passed with very little discussion of Afghanistan.

Other provisions in the bill include:

• Up to $75 million to train and equip Yemeni counterterrorism forces;

• $205 million for a program with Israel to develop its "Iron Dome" defense system;

• $11.6 billion for the development of Afghan security forces

• $1.5 billion for Iraqi security forces.

 http://news.yahoo.com