12/20/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- President Barack Obama called on Congress Dec. 20 to ratify the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty before recessing for the holiday, warning of the consequences of delays in moving forward on "an urgent national priority."
"Ratifying a treaty like START isn't about winning a victory for an administration or a political party," the president said. "It's about the safety and security of the United States of America."
That, he said, is why the treaty has had bipartisan support from former presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush, as well as every living Republican secretary of state, the United States' NATO allies and the U.S. military leadership.
President Obama also noted that Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stressed the importance of the treaty earlier this week at the White House.
"All the Joint Chiefs are very much behind this treaty because of the transparency (and) because of the reality that both the United States and Russia are going to have to recapitalize their nuclear arsenals," General Cartwright said. "To have transparency ... to put structure to that activity, we need START, and we need it badly."
President Obama said, "That's why every president since Ronald Reagan has pursued a treaty like START, and every one that has been reviewed by the Senate has passed with strong bipartisan support.
"We have taken the time to get this right," President Obama said, noting that new START has undergone more than seven months of Senate review and 18 congressional hearings.
"It's time to get this done," he said.
Delaying action comes at a cost, the president emphasized.
"Every minute we drag our feet is a minute that we have no inspectors on the ground at those Russian nuclear sites," he said.
Comments
12/21/2010 10:21:36 AM ET Personally I think that over seven months and 18 congressional hearings is not rushing. We do need to make sure we don't dawdle and leave the Russians unobserved for too long. It has been a year without inspectors so far.
Analyst, Barksdale
12/20/2010 3:50:01 PM ET There is NO need to rush this. Per Article VI of the US Constitution treaties become the law of the land. As such any treaty ratified by the Senate carries the same weight that is holds the US government accountable to the other signatories the same as any law passed by Congress and signed by the President. A treaty hastily entered into whether to politically placate the other parties e.g. the proposed UN Treaty on Small Arms or to ensure ratification before the current majority party reliquishes that status in the next legislative session as is the current case runs the very real and detrimental risk of giving up national sovereignty e.g. UN Small Arms Treaty or ability to do the right thing for our country e.g.the proposed START Treaty. If it is THAT important that it be addressed in the near term it needs to be scheduled for debate as soon as possible in the new congressional session but it does NOT need to be rushed through without thorough discussion and debate.
