The National Journal reports on the vote:
Members of both parties said the White House now has enough GOP support to ensure ratification. All 58 Democrats appear set to back the agreement.
“The question is not if it passes, but when it passes,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a supporter.
Republican Sens. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, George Voinovich of Ohio, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Johnny Isakson of Georgia said this afternoon they would vote to ratify the treaty. Citing the support from five former Republican secretaries of State, Voinovich said on the Senate floor that “ultimately it is in our national interest to ratify the treaty.” Murkowski said in a statement that she decided to support the treaty’s ratification “after much study and discussion.”
Other GOP Sens. including Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., have indicated they will be satisfied by planned changes to ratification resolution language to reflect a White House committement to fund missle defense. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is shopping the amendment to the resolution of ratification.
The amendment does not tweak treaty language, so its passage would not force the United States to renegotiate the accord with Russia.
Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, said today he expected to back the treaty.
Votes from all those senators would provide well more than the 67 votes needed for ratification.
Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Corker indicated support Monday. They joined Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and GOP Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire as expected supporters.
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