Jeff Bingaman: “Mr. President, a point that was made by the Senator from Nebraska I think needs to be foremost in our minds, and that is…”

“Mr. President, a point that was made by the Senator from Nebraska I think needs to be foremost in our minds, and that is that this is different from all other treaties that have come before the Senate since I have been here, in that this does not ask us to give up any military capability that we have not already decided to give up. Most treaties involve an agreement by us to give up military capability in return for other nations giving up military capability. But we have decided unilaterally during the Reagan administration and have maintained the policy ever since then that we are going to renounce the use of chemical weapons, destroy our stockpile of chemical weapons. What this treaty does is try to find ways to bring other nations to that same decision. President Reagan did commit to that in the 1980's. President Bush reiterated that position. President Clinton has certainly done so as well.”