Steve Cohen: “In his speech yesterday, President Clinton also reaffirmed that he gives very high priority to ratification of the…”

“In his speech yesterday, President Clinton also reaffirmed that he gives very high priority to ratification of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Mr. President, there have been many supporters on this side of the aisle for efforts to control and ban chemical weapons--Senator Dole, Senator Kassebaum, Senator Hatfield, Senator McCain and others come to mind, and I have been pleased to work with them on different measures to achieve that goal. During the 1980's, I supported replacement of our aging chemical stocks with binary weapons, a necessary step to get Moscow to negotiate seriously. I can't help but think back to the day in January of 1994, when President Nixon made his last visit to the United States Capitol. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of his inauguration as President. And over 100 past and present Senators and Congressmen--Republicans and Democrats alike--attended a lunch honoring President Nixon that Bob Michel and I hosted. At the conclusion of the lunch, President Nixon stood--and without a note in his hand--delivered one of the most compelling speeches many of us could remember.”