Senator relents on delay of Tauscher nomination

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 24, 2009 | by Lisa Vorderbrueggen

U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl relented late Wednesday afternoon and lifted the hold he had placed on the nomination of Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D- Alamo, as undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security.

In theory, Kyl, R-Ariz., could have held up her appointment indefinitely, but it is far more likely that he was using the procedure as leverage -- a common practice -- in the Republicans' disagreement with President Barack Obama over the nation's next generation nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia.

California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, both Democrats, strongly support Tauscher for the State Department job and their top aides, with the help of State Department staffers, reportedly negotiated with Kyl to release the hold. The Senate breaks tonight for the July 4 recess and a number of nomination votes, including that of Tauscher, remain in the hopper.

Kyl's press secretary did not return phone calls so it unclear what persuaded the senator to change his mind.

Rumors have circulated for months that Kyl intended to target Tauscher, but details of the hold surfaced publicly online earlier this week on the Cable, a foreign policy news Web site owned by the Washington Post.

A congressional source told the Cable that Kyl objects to the administration's ongoing strategic arms reductions talks with Russia before the completion of the national Nuclear Posture Review.

In the undersecretary post, Tauscher would be heavily involved in the treaty and help develop and execute strategies identified in the Nuclear Posture Review.

Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is overseeing the Nuclear Posture Review, which will define U.S. nuclear deterrence policies for the next five to 10 years. The report is due in December.

The U.S.-Russia arms treaty also will expire in December, and the Obama administration has already started renewal talks.

"It's crucial that Tauscher be able to begin doing her job," said Leonor Tomero, director of nuclear nonproliferation policy for the Washington-based Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. "Nuclear proliferation is the gravest threat to our national security right now."

The United States must secure a follow-up treaty with Russia before the expiration, Tomero said, or risk losing key physical verification provisions in the existing agreement that allow confirmation that weapons have been destroyed.

More than sufficient work has been completed on the Nuclear Posture Review to ensure that U.S. policy will mesh with a new treaty, she added.

Kyl, in an opinion piece circulated in May, however, argued that the United States cannot rely on treaties that "assume that if we reduce our strength, other nations would respond in kind."

"While the president is appealing to his leftist political base, our national security is jeopardized," he wroth. "Peace through strength is more than a slogan. It's critical to our survival as a nation."

Reach Lisa Vorderbrueggen at 925-945-4773, lvorderbrueggen@bayareanewsgroup.com or www.ibabuzz.com/politics.>

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