Record, Oct. 13, 1999. Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the Resolution of Advice and Consent to the Ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. Today, I would like to make certain general observations, in addition to addressing issues involving CTBT monitoring and verification.
Monitoring is objective.
First, as a general matter, I believe that the treaty will serve as a stalking horse for denuclearization. I do not accuse all of the treaty's supporters of seeking that goal. I fear that the treaty will both undermine and delegitimize our nuclear deterrent. Senators Kyl, Warner, and others have ably addressed this issue in the course of the debate. I will not belabor it further, other than to cite, as others have, the conclusion of former Secretaries of Defense Rumsfeld, Cheney, Schlesinger, Weinberger, Laird, and Carlucci.