Mark Warner: “Why didn't your President take those initiatives several years ago? What I am saying to you now is, before this…”

“Why didn't your President take those initiatives several years ago? What I am saying to you now is, before this President or any other President begins to make an assessment of a magnitude such as this, they better have in place an up-to-date analysis. That is essentially what I am saying. For the record, I would like to read from the George W. Bush statement: As President, I will ask the Secretary of Defense to conduct an assessment on our nuclear posture and determine how best to meet our security needs. While the exact number of weapons can come only from such an assessment, I will pursue the lowest possible number consistent with our national security.”