"Obama to Seek Ratification of Nuclear Test Ban Treaty"

[Clio the Leo]

Obama to Seek Ratification of Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

By DAVID E. SANGER
Published: February 18, 2010

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday that it would ask the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, more than a decade after President Bill Clinton failed to convince the treaty’s opponents that the American arsenal could deter adversaries without ever setting off nuclear explosions.

The effort to move ahead with the treaty — one of the steps the administration wants to take to convince the world that the United States is committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating its arsenals — was announced by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Speaking at the National Defense University, he was introduced by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, the only cabinet holdover from the Bush administration, and the man the White House believes will help provide political cover for what promises to be another bruising rematch over national security.

Over the next two weeks, President Obama is expected to make several critical decisions about nuclear policy, so Mr. Biden’s speech avoided some of the most contentious issues, including whether the United States would make a vow of “no first use” of a nuclear weapon. Mr. Obama’s decisions will complete what is known as the Nuclear Posture Review, conducted by each new administration. Officials say that for the first time the review will include American policy for dealing with nuclear threats from terrorists and other nonstate actors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/politics/19nuke.html