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| All Eyes On Sen. Kyl As Obama Presses Nuclear Treaty |
| 2010-11-16 |
| As President Obama pushes for ratification of his signature nuclear treaty with Russia in coming days, all eyes are on one Republican. Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.) has been his party's leading voice on the treaty and has pressed the administration to commit to a major modernization of the country's weapons labs in exchange for approval of the pact. On Friday, the administration sent a delegation that included Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of U.S. nuclear forces, to Arizona to woo Kyl. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is expected to meet with Kyl this week to try to seal a deal, according to two officials. Even Obama, who has called ratification of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) his No. 1 foreign policy priority in the lame-duck session beginning this week, has noted Kyl's influence. "We've been in a series of conversations with Senator Kyl, whose top priority is making sure that the nuclear arsenal that we do have is modernized. I share that goal," Obama told reporters Sunday. The high-octane lobbying - and the administration's offer to spend an additional $4 billion on the nuclear complex - reflect Obama's belief that the treaty is crucial to his nuclear agenda and the U.S.-Russia relationship. The effort has taken on even more urgency because Democrats will have fewer seats in the next Senate. Asked Monday night after an awards ceremony whether the administration's new proposal was enough to win his support, Kyl said, "I don't know, but it certainly is a step in the right direction," the Associated Press reported. Two other prominent Republican senators indicated they could support the treaty - as long as Kyl was satisfied. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Kyl was working with the administration on how to modernize the aging labs and to ensure that the ratification resolution clarified that the treaty didn't inhibit U.S. missile defense. The U.S. military leadership, and nearly all past commanders of American nuclear-weapons forces, have called for passage of the treaty. It would reduce the number of deployed, long-range nuclear warheads on each side from 2,200 to 1,550. More critically, the treaty would allow both nuclear giants to check on the number and location of each other's long-range, ready-to-use nuclear weapons. Such inspections ended when the first START treaty expired in December. Gates talked to Kyl about the extra $4 billion in a telephone call Friday. That money would be on top of an earlier administration pledge of a $10 billion increase. "The administration is going above and beyond what's required in order to get approval from Senate Republicans," said Stephen Young of the Union of Concerned Scientists. The group Heritage Action questioned the extra funds, which would bring the 10-year U.S. nuclear modernization budget to $84 billion. "No amount of money can obscure the treaty's fatal flaws, including inadequate verification measures and limits on missile defense," said the group's top official, Michael A. Needham. The administration has said the treaty doesn't limit U.S. missile defense, but some senators are worried by Russian statements suggesting otherwise. |
| Posted by:Sherry |