On the recordSeptember 21, 2012
today I vote to support S.J. Res. 41, reinforcing President Obama's policy of preventing Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon rather than containing a nuclear Iran. I support this resolution, which explicitly states that nothing in it should be construed as an authorization to use force, because its intention and its purpose is to echo and reinforce President Obama's policy toward Iran. It is particularly important to make that clear because there has been a lot of debate about the meaning of the term ``nuclear weapons capability'' in the resolution. But a brief examination of the issue shows that the resolution and its language support the President's policy of preventing Iran from developing or acquiring a nuclear weapon. An authoritative definition of a nuclear weapons capability was offered in testimony by the Director of National Intelligence in 2009. He stated that there are three parts of an effective nuclear weapons capability: production of fissile material; effective means for weapon delivery; and design, weaponization, and testing of the warhead itself. According to this definition, the Senate and the President are articulating the same position: we are committed to preventing Iran from achieving all of those components of a nuclear weapons capability, which amounts to saying that Iran must not develop or acquire nuclear weapons.…
