Mike Levin: “first I just want to compliment Senator Dole, the majority leader, for his support of START II. As he pointed out, this…”

“first I just want to compliment Senator Dole, the majority leader, for his support of START II. As he pointed out, this was negotiated and supported by three Presidents, two Republicans and one Democrat. The majority leader's support of this treaty, bringing it forward in the way he has in the great bipartisan tradition of the U.S. Senate. I just want to add my thanks to him for his work in this area. Mr. President, the START II Treaty is overwhelming in our national interest. It deserves our full and strong support. It will require the reduction of thousands of nuclear weapons that could otherwise pose a threat to our security. It will eliminate the most destabilizing weapons. There is a military threat more fearsome than nuclear weapons. They alone have the capability to destroy entire cities and to cause unparalleled destruction of anything in their path. The prospects of a nuclear war are so terrifying that they are hard to imagine. That is why every President since President Truman has made it one of the Nation's highest priorities to control nuclear weapons and to prevent nuclear war. We came frighteningly close during the Cuban Missile Crisis to using nuclear weapons. There have been several nuclear crises since.…”