McConnell To Lead Anti-START Forces In Senate;

From The American Thinker:

December 20, 2010


McConnell to lead anti-START forces in Senate

Rick Moran

This makes passage of START very doubtful:



Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky led the way, telling CNN's "State of the Union" that members of his party need more time to consider the START accord.





"I've decided I cannot support the treaty," McConnell said in his first outright rejection of ratifying the treaty during the current lame-duck session of Congress.





The treaty would resume mutual inspections of U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, while limiting both nations to 1,550 warheads and 700 launchers each. On Sunday, Democrats rejected a Republican amendment to the treaty's preamble that would have added a reference to tactical nuclear weapons, which are not covered by the pact.





Republican senators are "uneasy" about the treaty, and trying to get a vote before Christmas was not the best way to "get the support of people like me," McConnell said.





His unequivocal stance increased the GOP's public opposition to ratification, which would require at least 10 GOP senators to vote with the Democrats to reach the two-thirds majority of 67 needed.





All McConnell has to do is sway one or two GOP senators who are leaning in favor of ratifying the treaty and it will die. It is unlikely that Harry Reid will bring the treaty to a vote unless he has the required number of supporters. A rejection would be a huge blow to Obama - something Reid will be careful to avoid.





Nevertheless, McConnell might fail in his effort. The national security argument appears to have influenced a number of Republicans and they could ignore the minority leader's importunings and vote for the treaty anyway.











Posted at 12:00 AM

 
 
And this, related, from Fire Andrea Mitchell:
 
Harry Reid files for cloture on the START treatyfrom Fire Andrea Mitchell! by adminWhat great timing too! With all the stuff happening in South Korea right now, as they conduct their drills, and Vladimir Putin threatens South Korea, our own communist Harry Reid has filed for cloture on the START treaty. The vote on cloture is expected on Tuesday, and if it passes cloture, the final vote is set for Thursday. You just know Republicans will cave don’t you? According to National Review, it seems that a new RINO has emerged and has been negotiation with the Democrats behind the scenes. That RINO is none other than Bob Corker of Tennessee.




The Obama regime has given up on Jon Kyl’s vote and is now targeting Corker as their last best hope to snooker the Republicans into voting for this. You can count on yes votes from Bennett of Utah, Murkowski of Alaska, Voinovich of Ohio, Scott Brown and the Maine Twins. They will need 67 votes to ratify the treaty. And with Oregon Democrat Senator Ron Wyden out with prostate cancer surgery, it will require 10 Republican turncoats to ratify the treaty, if every Democrat remaining votes for it