[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8357-S8358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              START TREATY

  Mr. KERRY. Madam President, I believe a number of colleagues are 
lined up to speak. They are not here, so I will take a moment and take 
it off the Democratic side and just speak for a very few minutes.
  I know a number of my colleagues are wanting to talk a little bit 
about the START treaty. I look forward to their doing so. I did want to 
bring colleagues up to speed on sort of where we are and hopefully give 
an accurate, up-to-the-moment assessment of sort of what the progress 
is.
  I wish to express my gratitude to a group of Senators on the other 
side of the aisle--Senator Kyl, Senator McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham, 
Senator Isakson, and Senator Corker, particularly--all of whom have 
been working in good faith and consistently.
  Senator Kyl and I are talking almost every single day. It has been a 
constructive process. Obviously, there are points of disagreement here 
and there on substance. We are trying to work through those. I wish to 
say that Senator Kyl has worked with us calmly and quietly and in good 
faith in an effort to try to resolve some legitimate questions from 
Members on his side of the aisle. He has been consistent and persistent 
in hammering home those differences and the needs that must be met as 
we go through the process. Vice President Biden has been particularly 
engaged and particularly helpful in helping us to move the process 
forward, so the administration has a voice that

[[Page S8358]]

is directly engaged in these discussions and is working very hard to 
meet the concerns raised by Senator Kyl and others.
  I am encouraged by the process in which we are engaged. Senators need 
to know it has not been a process of sidestepping a best effort to try 
to get to a place where we can take up the START treaty in the next 
days. We still have some issues to try to complete.
  Some Senators have expressed the desire to hear from the 
administration with respect to the Lisbon conference and what modality 
was arrived at there with respect to deployment. We will make that 
happen. In addition, the President was sent an additional set of 
questions just the other day. Those answers are being worked on, and 
they will be forthcoming.
  As long as everybody keeps working in this kind of positive and 
constructive way, I am hopeful we can live up to our responsibility.
  I call the attention of Senators to the Washington Post today, an 
editorial op-ed written by former Republican Secretaries of State Henry 
Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, and Colin 
Powell. They clearly say: We urge the Senate to ratify the New START 
treaty signed by President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 
They express their reasons why they believe it is important for us to 
do so.
  It is my hope that the conversations we are having and the process 
that is in place is going to produce a positive outcome. We will 
certainly work in good faith to try to make that happen in the next 
days and hours.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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