I would like to publicly comment and compliment the Senator from Mississippi. The truth of the matter is that this treaty would not be before the Senate today as a treaty without the efforts of the majority leader. The executive believed…

the Senate has always been served well by the talent of the Senator from West Virginia and, most importantly, in making sure that we do our job responsibly. I would make only one 20-second explanation of why I think this treaty got less of…

Yes, it is. If I may say, Madam President, to the distinguished leader, that in a November 25, 1996, memorandum for Alan J. Kreczko, Special Assistant to the President and Legal Adviser to the National Security Council, from Christopher…

Let me say, this all came about--and they are, obviously, as usual, very good, incisive and insightful questions. I think it is unnecessary because I think it is a given. But let me explain, in fairness, why we got to this point and why I…

Today marks the publication date of a remarkable compilation of letters from a remarkable man, imprisoned Chinese political dissident Wei Jingsheng. His book, "The Courage To Stand Alone: Letters From Prison and Other Writings," should be…

I thank my friend from Alaska. He is absolutely correct. What he has said, as I translate it, is this amendment does not mean anything in the legislative sense. But I promise you, I promise you, if this amendment passes today, it will mean…

Mr. President, what are we talking about here? Do you know what this debate on article X and article XI reminds me of, speaking of law school? The only thing I ever did do well in law school was moot court. I won that. Does that surprise…

Moreover, as with any treaty, this paragraph must be read in light of the object and purpose of the convention. The purpose of the treaty, quite obviously, is to ban chemical weapons. And any nation which provides technology to a country…

Mr. President, condition No. 30 would hold hostage our joining the Chemical Weapons Convention to the condition that rogue states--several rogue states, such as Iraq, Libya and North Korea--would have to sign and ratify the treaty before…

I am obviously very pleased with the decision the Senator from Nebraska made, but I want to state on the record that I would have been comfortable with whatever decision he made, and I say that for the following reasons. I have been here…

let's get this straight. Verification is about whether or not we can know whether or not our security interests are going to be put in jeopardy. A useful chemical weapons capacity requires a lot more than just whether or not you can…

The answer is I would absolutely like to do that. The statement I was going to introduce has a paragraph about that. I express my deep appreciation to Senator Lugar, with whom I have talked every day for the past few months as we have…

let me just take the minute to say the following: If you do not like this treaty and you are not for it, vote against it. If you think this treaty makes sense, vote for my amendment, because if this treaty contains this provision, it is…

More to the point, even if we were obligated--which we're not, we maintain export controls on chemical defense equipment. In other words, we do not allow it to be sold to the rogue states. The only specific obligation contained in Article…

That ``four month'' comment reminds me of a joke about the two guys who were cheering at the bar, clapping their hands. A guy walks into the bar and says, ``What are they so happy about?'' Another guy says, ``Oh, they just put together a…

Mr. President, the reason I mention the Chemical Manufacturers Association is not that they should determine the foreign policy. My friend from Idaho is saying that the target of this kind of espionage, or stealing secrets, whatever, is…

I found it fascinating, the statement of my friend from Idaho. He made a very compelling case, from his perspective, as why we cannot verify the treaty and therefore why we should be against the treaty--because we cannot verify it. We…

I, like he, on five occasions --four here and one in a hospital--raised my right hand and swore to uphold the Constitution. We have both done that, to the best of my knowledge, for the past 24 years. Let me just say that just as beauty is…

I was absolutely convinced that the conditions that we agreed on would take care of every conceivable problem he had with the treaty. I think it does for everyone, frankly. I know my friend from Arizona was very concerned about several…

He also said the intelligence community says, ``They have never found anything that is successfully hidden.'' I do not know how many of you are golfers. That is like saying you cannot sink a putt if it is short. Obviously, a putt will not…

Mr. President, the Chemical Weapons Convention is a fine arms control agreement. It can stand on its own. But the U.S. Senate has a constitutional duty to consider carefully all the implications of treaties submitted for its advice and…

Let me be very, very blunt, as the Chair knows I usually am, much to my detriment on occasion. This is not about anything, this vote. This vote is really designed to try to come up with a substitute for the chemical weapons treaty--to give…

I wish we were not here debating this legislation today--not because I don't think it is right; I do, and I am a cosponsor of the bill; but because I wish there was no need to take up a bill like this in the first place. Unfortunately, our…

the forthcoming reversion of Hong Kong to Chinese control is, as a matter of diplomacy, the mere implementation of a diplomatic agreement between the United Kingdom and the government of the People's Republic of China. But it is, of…

I am pleased to join in introducing today with Senator Grassley and others the Drug-Free Communities Act of 1997. This legislation will help take an important step forward toward a goal we all share--keeping kids away from drugs and drugs…