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Senate Sounds of Silence on Nukes
Travis | Oct 08, 2009 |
0 This is an expanded version of the piece from a few weeks ago.
Given the important role Capitol Hill will play in enacting or rejecting President Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda, recent Senate reactions to the reconfigured proposal for European missile defense and to Obama’s appearance at the UN Security Council are worth analyzing as a sign of challenges ahead.
After a thorough survey of press activity, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation concludes that only the sounds of silence have been heard from the Senate – except for Republicans’ predictable disavowal of reformulated plans for missile defense in Europe.
Missile Defense
Republican senators lambasted the Obama administration’s revised proposal for U.S. missile defense in Europe. Over one-third (14 senators) of the Republican caucus issued press releases criticizing the move. All of the statements articulated some variation of the “weak-appeasement” theme. For example, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) said the decision “signaled weakness to our friends and enemies.” Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) called it “dangerous and short-sighted.” Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) denounced it as a “callous and cavalier decision [that] leaves our friends out on a limb, high and dry.”
These reactions should come as no surprise. Missile defense is an article of faith for Republicans. Any shift away from the Bush administration’s plan was bound to elicit mass GOP apoplexy.
More interesting was the response (or lack thereof) from Democrats. Excluding Sen. Joseph Lieberman (ID-Connecticut), whose condemnation of the decision comported with his hawkish foreign policy views, only five percent (three senators) of the Democratic caucus sent out press releases. Of those three, only the statement by Sen. Carl Levin (D-Michigan) offered unqualified support for the Obama administration’s plan. Releases from both Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) focused on how the decision might help or hinder the interests of their respective states.
UN Security Council
No Republican senators issued statements reacting to Obama’s appearance at the UN Security Council on September 24. However, several Republicans – including Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) – did pounce on the ensuing revelation about Iran’s secret nuclear facility to denounce the regime and call for punitive measures.
As was the case with missile defense in Europe, only three Democratic senators (five percent of caucus) issued official comments on Obama’s UN appearance. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) labeled the unanimously-passed resolution “a positive step in international efforts to curb the spread of nuclear weapons.” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) said it “marks an important step toward a nuclear-free world.” Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) commended “the President for reasserting American leadership on the vital issue of nuclear nonproliferation.”
Conclusion
With the exception of Afghanistan, foreign policy is not at the top of the agenda right now for Senate Democrats. The lack of communication on international affairs is largely attributable to health care sucking all of the oxygen out of the cloakroom. While understandable, this congressional inaction is regrettable.
The protracted nature of negotiating and ratifying arms control agreements and the political realities of reelection mean that by the end of 2010, the window of opportunity will slam shut on Obama’s plans to reduce nuclear weapons stockpiles, ban nuclear testing, and secure vulnerable nuclear material worldwide. If substantial progress on these goals is not made in the next 15 months, the greatest opportunity to reduce the danger of nuclear weapons since the dawn of the Atomic Age will have elapsed.
Though a press release is relatively small potatoes in the larger scheme of things, it can lead to news reports in local media outlets that are critical shapers of public opinion. Senators are masters at translating complex details, like those in arms control deals, into comprehensible sound bites. Thus, through their access to local media and ability to communicate effectively with regular folks, senators have a huge role to play in sustaining or undermining public support for Obama’s foreign policy agenda.
It is time for Senate Democrats to speak out forcefully in support of President Obama’s nuclear weapons priorities.
Nukes on a Blog, Congress, Missile Defense, START, CTBT (all tags)
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