Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I., Conn.) said conversations with Senate colleagues have left him unsure that there are the required 67 votes to ratify the new START treaty signed by President Obama last week in Prague. Lieberman said the treaty must focus on modernizing the nuclear arsenal.
Lieberman: “I don’t believe that there will be 67 votes to ratify the START treaty unless the administration does two things: First, commit to modernize our nuclear stockpile so as we have less nuclear weapons we know they’re capable, if, God forbid, we need them; and secondly, to make absolutely clear that some of the statements by Russian President Medvedev at the signing in Prague that seem to suggest that if we continue to build the ballistic missile defense in Europe that they may pull out of this treaty — they’re just unacceptable to us.”
“We need that defense to protect our allies and ourselves from Iran.”
Full video here.