"Festivus Feats of Strength"* on the Hill

ROK vessels on patrol

Latest: Senator John McCain's (R-AZ) effort to block a vote on ratifying the START II treaty failed 59-37. The vote against the measure, which would have required the reopening of negotiations, does not mean there are 67 votes for ratification at this point in the debate. Conservatives continue to insist on deleting language in the treaty's preamble that addresses the issue of missile defense. The Russians see the language as necessary to the validity of the treaty. The need for a follow-on nuclear arms treaty is made all the more apparent by the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula. The military situation on the peninsula is a remnant of the Cold War that could turn very hot at any moment. Russia has urged an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Sunday to address the current stand-off over military maneuvers near coastal islands in the Yellow Sea [photo]. The Senate will consider another "killer" amendment offered by James Risch (R-ID) to include tactical nuclear weapons in the treaty. This difficult subject was deliberately left off the table by the negotiating parties, so any such amendment now would require the entire treaty be renegotiated. According to Foreign Policy's The Cable blog there are between 50 and 70 treaty amendments by the GOP pending. How many will make it to the floor is a guess. Clearly the tactic is death by a thousand amendments.

More: US Person thinks Senator Reid has the schedule backwards. Nothing is more important in the lame duck session than ratifying START II. The Repugnants will use any and all excuses to delay treaty consideration because they want to be in a position to force renegotiation next year. The Senate Parliamentarian has already given treaty opponents an opening by ruling the treaty's preamble is subject to amendment. It is in the preamble that the US recognizes the interrelationship between offensive and defensive nuclear weapons, a concept Repugnants detest since it threatens the potential of making huge profits for defensive weapons. Homosexual advocates can wait a little longer for their right to openly serve in the military because if START II is not ratified, the chances of the army disappearing in a radioactive cloud of dust increase mightily. So go "duck and cover" until the nuclear arms treaty is law.

{16.12.10}The Start II treaty moved toward a ratification vote in the Senate Wednesday where the follow-on arsenal reduction agreement survived a Repugnant delaying tactic 66 to 32, Evan Bayhe (D-IN) absent. Bayhe is expected to support the treaty. Several more procedural hurdles must be overcome, as the treaty's opponents use all of their parliamentary skills to hold it hostage. The initial vote was encouraging since 67 "yes" votes will be needed for passage, but counting the number of opposition party defectors is not an exact process. Meanwhile Comrade Vladimir Vladimirovich is learning to play "Bluberry Hill", the old Fats Domino tune, on the piano while waiting for America's answer to ending the nuclear arms race and entering an era of rapprochement with our former allies.

The fruitless attempts to woo Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the most vociferous opponent of nuclear arms control, have been dropped by the administration. So Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) popped up to insist on his senatorial privilege and have the entire treaty read aloud on the floor of the Senate, taking up precious floor time.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was able to derail that stunt by an agreement with the Senate Minority Leader. DeMint was not even above seeking leverage in the approach of the high Christian holiday, saying it was "sacrilegious" to debate START II this close to Christmas! Vice President Joe Biden told John Kerry (D-MA) that he would rather see the treaty defeated this year, than have it languish in a Congress that will be even more hostile to legislative accomplishments by Obamacon & Folks. Start I was approved 87-6 in 1996 after only 2 days of consideration.  The Prince of Peace has got to be shaking his head.

*people who are fans of the old hit TV sitcom, "Seinfeld"know that feats of strength are a traditional aspect of the "Holiday for the Rest of Us"