Obama Pushes For START Vote
The Washington Post reports:
President Obama will push for ratification of a nuclear-arms treaty with Moscow by year's end despite Republican opposition, the White House said Wednesday, setting up a political clash over a pact that the administration sees as crucial for U.S. foreign policy.
The administration signaled that it would not be discouraged after the second-ranking Senate Republican, Jon Kyl (Ariz.), said that a deal didn't seem possible in the lame-duck session.
"The president and the administration will push forward on having the Senate ratify the START treaty before the end of the year," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
Asked if there were enough votes even without Kyl, Gibbs said, "We think we'll get them."
The administration has been eager to lock in the treaty before next year, when it will require 14 Republican votes to pass, rather than nine now. The pact needs 67 votes to be ratified.
