John Bolton

John Bolton: START Treaty Fight 'Was Worth It' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | December 28, 2010, 11:16AM

Fmr. UN Amb. John Bolton

John Bolton, the former Bush administration Ambassador to the United Nations who has seemingly been testing the waters for a possible presidential candidacy, is now saying that the Senate GOP leadership's unsuccessful fight against the START nuclear arms treaty with Russia was a good thing politically -- even though the treaty was ratified.

Bolton appeared last night on Sean Hannity's Fox News show, with Tucker Carlson sitting in the host seat.

"But let's be clear. I think that this fight was worth it, even though the treaty was ratified," said Bolton, "because I think, people are now well aware of the driven ideology of this administration, to reduce our nuclear capabilities, which I think they now understand will endanger us and our friends and allies going forward."

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Lame duck sesion

Top 5 Lame Duck Losers For 2010

Brian Beutler | December 24, 2010, 8:27AM

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Until the next Congress starts, the media will have little to prattle on about besides the Democrats lame duck accomplishments. Already lost in the coverage are two key facts: 1.) The Dems' victories came at the expense of Republicans, many of whom really blew it these past few weeks; and 2.) The Democrats didn't win everything.

Here's our list of the lame duck's top five losers.

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Barack Obama

Top 5 Lame Duck Winners For 2010

Brian Beutler | December 24, 2010, 8:25AM

President Barack Obama

Republicans attacked it as a perversion of democracy, and used it as an excuse to continue to vote against Dem priorities. Democrats recognized it as their last chance to accomplish much of anything for the next two years. People in the media mistook it for a Barack Obama renaissance.

Certainly Democrats accomplished more than most people expected they would these last several weeks. But between the victories and the compromises and the defeats, it's hard to keep track of who came out on top.

Here's a list of the lame duck's big winners to help you sort it all out.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Blame The Lame Duck: Republicans Find A New Reason For 'No' Votes

Jillian Rayfield | December 23, 2010, 8:37AM

This year's lame duck Congress has been described as the most productive since World War II, with the passage of a tax cuts deal, a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, ratification of the new START treaty, and the passage of a bill to provide health care to 9/11 first responders.

But despite the Democrats' legislative victories, and even some bipartisan support, many top Republicans this week have been offering up the lame duck session itself as the latest sacrifice on the "Party of No" altar...

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START treaty

Senate Ratifies START Treaty

Brian Beutler | December 22, 2010, 3:00PM

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden

By a vote of 71-26 this afternoon, the Senate ratified the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), exceeding the two-thirds majority required for passage.

The vote brings to an end a long, winding and at times hostile debate over the arms agreement, which enjoyed broad support among one-time GOP influence peddlers, but was held up for much of the lame-duck session by several Republican senators who raised a series of procedural and policy objections to the treaty.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl led the opposition, and at times appeared to have rounded up the 34 votes he would have needed to block START. Kyl made a name for himself in the GOP in 1999 when he shocked American and international diplomats and handily blocked President Clinton's Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

This time, his efforts fell well short.

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9/11

Congress Poised To Expedite 9/11 Responders Bill Over GOP Objections

Brian Beutler | December 22, 2010, 10:52AM

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)

After months of GOP obstruction, a bill to help 9/11 first responders cover their mounting health care costs is expected to zip through Congress. In addition to being a feather in the cap of New York and New Jersey Democrats -- who have been pushing the bill for months -- it will likely enjoy the distinction of being the last legislative item to pass the unusually productive 111th Congress lame duck session.

Republicans have blocked the bill in both the House and Senate over objections to its cost and financing mechanisms, but with a combination of tweaks and public pressure, Democrats say they've rounded up the 60 votes they'll need to break the filibuster. And with members eager to skip town for the holidays, the House and Senate have lined up to expedite final passage.

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Lindsey Graham

Graham Berates GOP For 'Capitulation' Of 'Dramatic Proportions' In Lame Duck

Jillian Rayfield | December 21, 2010, 4:23PM

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is not happy about the recent productivity of the lame duck Congress, and blamed the GOP for allowing it to happen. "When it's all going to be said and done," he said on Fox News Radio today, "Harry Reid has eaten our lunch. This has been a capitulation in two weeks of dramatic proportions of policies that wouldn't have passed in the new Congress."

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START treaty

Senate Breaks GOP Filibuster On START Nuclear Treaty

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2010, 3:33PM

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV)

The Senate voted 67-28 to break a GOP filibuster and end debate on the START nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia, paving the way for a final vote on ratification later this week that could be another major victory for the Obama administration in the lame duck session.

A sufficient number of Republicans broke ranks against right-wing opposition to the treaty, which was led in part by Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), to cut off debate. Now all that remains is a vote on ratification, which has to reach the Constitution's required two-thirds vote to approve a treaty, a higher bar than the 60 votes for breaking a filibuster -- and a bar that the cloture vote has already achieved so far. That vote is expected this week -- and enough Republicans have already pledged support.

The treaty had also been held up in the Senate, with some Republicans even hinting that their opposition was being fanned in reaction to Democrats pursuing such other objectives as the DREAM Act and the (ultimately successful) repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

But momentum grew in the last few days, with key Republicans such as Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) coming on board.

Numerous Republicans who are not currently in office -- including all six living Republican former Secretaries of State, from Henry Kissinger through Condoleezza Rice -- have urged ratification.

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START treaty

Corker Will Support START Treaty -- White House Has Votes To Ratify

Jillian Rayfield | December 21, 2010, 12:58PM

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) announced on the Senate floor this afternoon that he will support the new START nuclear arms treaty, saying that "there's nothing that I think most of us care about more than our country being secure."

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START treaty

GOP Senators Isakson, Bennett Back START

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2010, 12:05PM

Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Bob Bennett (R-UT)

Two more Republicans have come out in favor of the START nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia, with the agreement appearing to be on track for the constitutional requirement of a two-third majority for ratification.

Sens. Bob Bennett (R-UT) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) have announced their support, following an earlier announcement this morning by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). In addition, Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is expected to announce his support later today -- which would officially put it over the magic number.

Republican Senators who had already announced their support are Richard Lugar (IN), Susan Collins (ME), Olympia Snowe (ME), Scott Brown (ME) and George Voinovich (OH).

Bennett was defeated for renomination at his Republican state convention earlier this year, due to a Tea Party-backed challenge, while Isakson was just re-elected this past November.

START treaty

Dems Close In On START Ratification

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2010, 10:12AM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama

At this point it's all but certain that the Democrats will be able to ratify the new START treaty before the end of the week. Yesterday was a breakthrough, as key on-the-fence Senators announced their support or near support. But the dam fully broke this morning when Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) -- the Senate's third-ranking Republican -- broke with his leadership team, including anti-START ringleader Jon Kyl, to announce his support.

"I will vote to ratify the new START treaty," Alexander said on the Senate floor. Even after the arms reductions the treaty demands, Alexander said, the US will still have enough weapons to blow "enemies" to "kingdom come."

He joins Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as the most recent Republican to announce their intent to support the treaty; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is widely expected to solidify his support for the treaty as well.

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START treaty

Lamar Alexander Announces START Support

Eric Kleefeld | December 21, 2010, 10:01AM

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN)

Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) announced his support for the START nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia, becoming a key Republican backer who brings some momentum to the Obama administration's efforts to get to the Constitution's required 67 votes for ratification.

"Madam President, I will vote to ratify the new START treaty with Russia -- because it leaves our country with enough nuclear warheads to blow any attacker to Kingdom Come, and because the president has committed to an $85 billion, ten-year plan to make sure that those weapons work," Alexander said on the Senate floor just now.

"I will vote for the treaty because it allows for inspection of Russian warheads, and because our military leaders say it does nothing to interfere with the development of a missile defense system. I will vote for the treaty because the last six Republican Secretaries of State support its ratification. In short, I'm convinced that Americans are safer and more secure with the new START treaty than without it."

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START treaty

Scott Brown Announces Support For START Treaty

Megan Carpentier | December 20, 2010, 4:59PM

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) today announced that he would both vote in favor of cloture on the START treaty and for its eventual passage, bucking GOP leadership. Many of his party's leaders have been complaining that they haven't had enough time to review the treaty, signed in April, and that last weekend's Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal vote "poisoned" the lame duck session.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced earlier today that the Administration expects the treaty to pass, due in part to Senators like Brown willing to buck party leadership on the legislation.

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START treaty

Senate Republicans Threaten START After Dems Repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Brian Beutler | December 20, 2010, 1:54PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The Senate will ratify new START this week, say the White House and top Senate Democrats. But Republican leaders -- and many of their influential members -- are doing all they can to create the opposite impression.

Somebody's clearly wrong. But we may not know whom until the last moment, when the arms reduction treaty gets a final vote on the Senate floor, and either does -- or does not -- win the two-thirds majority required for ratification.

That, in turn, will depend on whether Republicans are prepared to sink a big-deal treaty over a series of complaints about process. In the last several days, a number of Republicans -- even those who profess to support new START on the merits -- have risen to claim that the treaty will have to wait because they're angry about the success of Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal and other Democratic priorities.

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Spending

A Primer On The Fallout Of OmnibusFAIL

Brian Beutler | December 17, 2010, 11:30AM

President Barack Obama meets with Democratic and Republican leaders

Late last night, Harry Reid's plan to get the federal government funded through the end of the fiscal year went up in flames, burning months and months of work by Senate appropriators and their staffs. To avert a government shutdown, Reid agreed to work out a federal funding plan with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell -- Congress will agree to continue funding the government at its current levels through some yet-to-be-determined point next year. The "continuing resolution" will likely pass the Senate in a blink, the lights will stay on, and then they can move on to other priorities: The DREAM Act, Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, and START.

Here's how last night's melodrama impacts policy and the politics on Capitol Hill:

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

DADT Moves In The Senate: Reid To File Cloture Tonight, Vote On Saturday

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 16, 2010, 7:56PM

On the Senate floor just now, Majority Leader Harry Reid announced the Senate will begin to vote as soon as Saturday on a bill to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell. That puts it ahead of the START treaty, as proponents of repeal had requested.

"We've got to move this all along," Reid said from the floor.

Reid will also file for cloture on the DREAM Act. That means both bills should come up for a procedural vote on Saturday. The vote on the DREAM Act will come first, followed by the vote on DADT.

Democrats expect the cloture vote on the DREAM Act to fail. Next will come a cloture vote on DADT. "If DREAM gets 60 to end debate then we would have final passage Sunday," a Reid aide told TPM. "If DREAM fails, but DADT gets 60 then it's the same case -- final vote Sunday."

Though progressives will see the votes on DADT and DREAM as key victories, Reid's other announcement will likely be seen as a victory for the Republicans. Reid announced that despite the bipartisan process behind the omnibus spending bill, he could not get any Republican votes for the massive omnibus spending bill. So he's scrapping it in favor of a short-term spending package that will keep the government up and running through early next year.

So for those paying close attention, here's the schedule of votes moving forward: DREAM, DADT repeal, short-term spending bill and, finally START treaty.

Ron Wyden

Wyden Cancer Bout Complicates Dems' Lame-Duck Agenda

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2010, 6:44PM

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

The exceedingly good news is that Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) is expected to make a full recovery from prostate cancer, for which he will undergo surgery early next week. For Democrats, though, that could create real logistical problems, if they hope to round out a still-crowded lame-duck session in the next several days.

"[I]t now appears that I will be missing votes tomorrow and possibly next week while I prepare and undergo this procedure," Wyden said in a statement. "I expect to be back to work full-time when the Senate reconvenes in January."

That wouldn't matter if Democrats were trying to pass legislation with broad support. But just about everything left on their docket is expected to face broad GOP opposition, and pass by paper-thin margins, if at all.

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Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Lieberman: DADT Repeal Should Come Before START (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | December 16, 2010, 1:26PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says that repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell should get an earlier slot on the Senate calendar than ratifying President Obama's new nuclear arms reduction START treaty. In the past couple days, momentum has formed behind the Lieberman-led effort to end the military's ban on openly gay servicembers, and Lieberman is calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to keep the ball rolling.

"It's really up to Sen. Reid now," Lieberman told MSNBC today.

Lieberman recently secured the 60 votes (and then some) he's going to need to bring the freestanding DADT repeal passed by the House to the Senate floor for a vote. Lieberman said that if the Senate brings up DADT this weekend, it can be done in time for other bills to be considered before the lame duck session is over and done with.

Regardless of what happens afterward, Lieberman said, repeal should come before anything else once the Senate debate on the budget bill -- a prerequisite for some of the Republican pro-repeal votes -- is over.

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START treaty

DeMint Ditches Plan To Force Reading Of START Treaty

David Taintor | December 15, 2010, 3:08PM

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is calling off his plans to read every word of the START Treaty on the Senate floor, MSNBC and others report.

DeMint was planning to force a reading of the START Treaty, the nuclear arms reduction deal President Barack Obama negotiated with Russia earlier this year, and Sen. Daniel Inouye's (D-HI) omnibus bill. Reading both bills -- which are thousands of pages in length -- could have taken days.

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START treaty

Gibbs Condemns DeMint's Plans To Force Reading Of START Treaty

David Taintor | December 15, 2010, 1:19PM

White House Press Sec. Robert Gibbs

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs today called Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-SC) plans to force a reading of the START Treaty a "new low in putting political stunts ahead of our national security" and "exactly the kind of Washington game-playing that the American people are sick of."

"Every minute that the START Treaty is being read on the Senate floor increases the time that we lack verification of Russia's nuclear arsenal," Gibbs said in a statement, adding that the bill has already been the subject of almost 20 Senate hearings.

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Harry Reid

Reid Pledges Post-Christmas Votes If GOP Keeps Stalling

Brian Beutler | December 14, 2010, 3:51PM

Harry Reid (D-NV)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatened to keep the Senate in session after Christmas, all the way up to the beginning of next Congress if the GOP doesn't get out of the way and allow votes on Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, the START treaty and other key Democratic initiatives.

"There's still Congress after Christmas. So if the Republicans think that because they can stall and stall and stall that we take a break we're through -- we're not through," Reid said. Congress ends on January 4."

That sets up a complicated and grueling schedule for the next two to three weeks, particularly if Republicans insist on using procedural maneuvers to keep the clock running. Currently the Senate is draining up to 30 hours of floor time because of GOP objections to holding an immediate vote on the tax bill, which is likely to nonetheless pass with overwhelming support.

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START treaty

Kyl: Dems Cave By Monday Or No START Treaty

Brian Beutler | December 1, 2010, 2:34PM

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)

Republicans say no Senate business until tax cuts are extended and the government is funded -- presumably on terms favorable to the GOP. That apparently includes the START treaty. And now the man leading the resistance to ratifying the treaty during the lame duck says Dems have until Monday to come to terms with Republicans on those two issues.

"If the taxes all can't be resolved and voted on and completed and spending for the government for the next ten months completed by like next Monday, I don't know how there's enough time to complete START," Kyl told The Hill.

Remember, Kyl isn't just the driving force opposing START ratification. He's also the Senate Republicans top tax cut negotiator in bipartisan discussions with the White House. Some suspected that his participation would lead to a compromise involving ratification, but that will only happen if Republicans say so.

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START treaty

Collins: The Bushes Should Green Light START Treaty

Brian Beutler | November 29, 2010, 9:43AM

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

Today in outrageous new benchmarks for bipartisanship, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) says she'd be more likely to vote to ratify the START Treaty if former Presidents, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were to speak out in support of it.

"It would be wonderful if President [George H.W.] Bush would come out for the treaty. That would be so powerful and definitely help," Collins told the Washington Post.

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Lame duck sesion

Poll: Americans See Tax Issues As Top Priority For Lame-Duck Congress

Marc Kilstein | November 23, 2010, 3:37PM

Above all else, Americans are hoping for the lame-duck Congress to sort out some tax issues, according to a newly released USA Today/Gallup poll.

The latest survey asked respondents to rate the importance of six different issues that are being considered by Congress during its lame-duck session. The issues were:

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