Hillary Clinton's New START: A Happy Beginning

No one was more invested in today's Senate ratification of New START than Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The treaty was her baby. She won Sergei Lavrov's cooperation and respect. Their teams and they negotiated this treaty together, and Secretary Clinton has worked very hard behind the scenes to achieve those Senate votes. Here are some remarks and responses on the subject from P.J. Crowley's press briefing today.

Philip J. Crowley

Assistant Secretary
Daily Press Briefing

Washington, DC

December 22, 2010

"... Clearly, from the Secretary on down we are monitoring the Senate and anticipate a vote on the New START Treaty perhaps in the next hour. The Secretary has been monitoring developments this morning from home. She actually plans to go up to the Hill, perhaps is leaving her house as we speak, and will be there when the vote takes place.

Over the course of a number of months either in phone calls, meetings, or interactions on the Hill, she has perhaps touched virtually every member of the Senate where she has great friendships from her time there. And we believe this will be a strong bipartisan statement and an important development both in the nonproliferation agenda and demonstrates our commitment to reduce our reliance on nuclear weapons. It is certainly appropriate that the two countries with the leading nuclear arsenals should demonstrate a commitment to arms control and to reduction in the size of their respective nuclear forces.

QUESTION: Why did you use the word perhaps?

MR. CROWLEY: Perhaps. Perhaps what?

QUESTION: She has perhaps touched –

MR. CROWLEY: I can’t say that she has talked to every single senator, but I think she has touched virtually everyone if not everyone. I can’t – I haven’t got a whip count. So that’s why I qualified it slightly."

And here are some photos from today.

Going into the Senate chamber with her fingers crossed.


Jubilant (and probably greatly relieved) after te vote.


Cutie with a Christmas tree pin.


Outside Joe Biden's Senate office.


Merry Christmas, Mme. Secretary! It should be a very happy one for you. Thank you for all of your very hard work negotiating this treaty for us and negotiating the vote!