William Helms: “of course I am disappointed by today's vote on the CWC. But I find some solace in the fact that, thanks to our efforts…”

“of course I am disappointed by today's vote on the CWC. But I find some solace in the fact that, thanks to our efforts, this treaty is much less harmful than it would have been. I am enormously proud of Senators Kyl, Inhofe, and other Senators who stood with us despite enormous pressure against this treaty. I believe history will vindicate their efforts. Make no mistake, this is a dangerous treaty. But it is a little less dangerous thanks to the efforts we made to amend it, and to deliver the truth to the American people. Last September, treaty proponents were pressing the Senate to vote on a treaty that had none of the key protections that some of us succeeded in inserting in this treaty. Had we not been a phalanx of common sense standing in their way, the exact same treaty would have been before the Senate for ratification today, and that would have been a disaster. The treaty approved by the Senate tonight was toned down with 28 conditions, most of which the administration was until recently calling 'killer amendments.' Those include, among many others, conditions that limit the cost of the treaty to the American taxpayer, place safeguards on intelligence sharing, enhance our chemical defenses, and protect confidential business information.”