Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I'm afraid we're falling away and falling behind in that area.”

NATO is the most successful defense and security alliance in the history of the world.

I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from Texas.

Decisions on enlargement are for NATO and the nation in question; no other outside country, such as Russia, has a voice in the process.

The enlargement process has and will continue to serve as a particularly effective vehicle for promoting democratic values.