New START Treaty voted out of committee

[Mass]

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_09/025697.php

NEW START ADVANCES FROM COMMITTEE.... Going into today, only one Senate Republican -- ranking Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Dick Lugar -- had publicly endorsed the New START treaty President Obama successfully negotiated with Russia. It will need 67 for ratification -- not 60, not 51 -- which means Lugar would have to be joined by at least seven other Republican senators.

Today was the first key test, with a committee vote on whether to send the treaty to the floor. The results, fortunately, were encouraging.

A Senate panel approved a new strategic nuclear arms control treaty with Russia on Thursday, advancing one of President Barack Obama's main foreign policy priorities to an uncertain future in the full Senate.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 14-4 to approve the new START treaty. The full Senate must consent to the agreement before it can go into effect, but it is unclear when the treaty will get a vote on the Senate floor.
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This said, it was not an easy vote. It was nearly derailed when Webb stood with DeMint on an amendment who would have made a commitment for missile defense. :wtf:

http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/09/16/kerry_and_demint_spar_over_missile_defense

Kerry and DeMint spar over missile defense
Posted By Josh Rogin Thursday, September 16, 2010 - 12:01 PM Share
At today's Senate Foreign Relations committee business meeting on New START, chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Republican Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) got into an open argument about whether the United States should build a giant missile defense system to protect every American citizen around the world.

That's the idea put forth by DeMint in an amendment to the resolution of ratification that the committee is considering, in advance of a full senate debate and vote on the nuclear reductions treaty after the November elections. DeMint said at the meeting that if the United States is going to draw down its nuclear arsenal, it should commit to building missile defense such that every U.S. citizen and all U.S. troops abroad are protected.
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But then, Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) also came out in support of DeMint's amendment, which meant that it might pass, forcing Kerry to take it seriously. When the committee broke for a short break, Kerry huddled with Assistant Secretary Rose Gottemeoller, who was waiting in an adjoining room. He then scrambled to meet with DeMint and Corker, presumably to work out a compromise.

The Democrats definitely see DeMint's amendment as a political stunt.

"If you really want this to be something other than a political message, perhaps we can take a couple of days and work on it," said Webb, who promised to vote for the DeMint amendment either way because agreed with the basic thrust of it.
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