How Barney Frank’s staff really feels about him
Dec 05, 2011

In his Nov. 30 column, “A bully leaves his pulpit,” Dana Milbank grossly mischaracterized how I and my colleagues, members of Rep. Barney Frank’s staff past and present, feel toward him. I feel fortunate to have worked for him, and I have the highest respect for his integrity, brilliance and dedication to enduring democratic principles. But my colleagues and I also are grateful to him for his absolute loyalty to us, for his graciousness in sharing credit for what we collectively accomplish and for his respect for our personal lives outside the pressure-cooker environment of Capitol Hill.

In a congressional culture of deference, we all know him simply as Barney. He demands that we deliver at the highest standards of government service, but he often praises us publicly and privately for our work and dedication. He allows us to take time to care for our loved ones and to raise our children, and he respects the importance of family. If he makes a bad decision, he personally takes the heat; he doesn’t use staff as a shield.

This isn’t only my opinion. I speak here for 60 of my colleagues who asked to co-sign this letter. But one simple metric tells the heart of the story: Barney has one of the most tenured offices on Capitol Hill. Where career longevity in “tough” offices can be measured in weeks or months, Barney has 10 staff members who have been with him for more than 10 years.

I have real affection and the highest regard for Barney Frank. When a caller to our office who disagrees with Barney’s politics asked me how I could work for him, I said simply, “with great pride and honor.” I know my colleagues would agree.

Bruno Freitas, Washington

The writer is chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Last picture show: Senate finishes Defense Authorization
Dec 02, 2011

Yesterday, the Senate voted 93-7 to approve the bill. Senate and House conferees will meet this month in conference to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.  

The seven “no” votes were cast by three Republicans, three Democrats and one independent:  Coburn (R-OK), Paul (R-KY), Lee (R-UT), Harkin (D-IA), Merkley (D-OR), Wyden (D-OR) and Sanders (I-VT).

The bill contains $527 billion for the basic Pentagon budget, $117 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $18 billion for Department of Energy, for a total of about $662 billion. The total authorization is $27 billion less than the President’s request and $43 billion less than enacted in Fiscal Year 2011.

By unanimous consent, the Senate adopted a package of 11 “non-controversial” amendments.  It also adopted other amendments by voice vote.  The Senate rejected two amendments offered by Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) to alter the controversial provisions on detainees in the bill, but later approved a compromise amendment offered by Sen. Feinstein by vote of 99-1 that would leave it to the Supreme Court to make the final decision on the constitutionality of holding American citizens in military custody. It is unclear if this compromise language will be enough to prevent the White House from vetoing the final version of the bill.  

Senate votes for Merkley amendment on accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan
Nov 30, 2011

Council for a Livable World Welcomes Senate Vote In Favor of An Accelerated Withdrawal of U.S.Troops from Afghanistan

Washington, D.C. .. Council for a Livable World applauded the Senate vote today in favor of the Merkley amendment asking the President to accelerate the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

The Senate approved the amendment by a voice vote in a surprising rebuke to those who want to stay in Afghanistan indefinitely – including Senator John McCain (R-AZ).

Clearly Senator McCain, who opposed the amendment, did not call for a roll call vote because he was not sure he could win.

John Isaacs, Executive Director of Council for a Livable World, said: “There is a rising tide in United States Senate and around the country to end U.S. combat in Afghanistan.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley offers successful out-of-Afghanistan amendment
Nov 29, 2011

Merkley Amendment on Afghanistan to the National Defense Authorization Act

The following Senators signed onto at least one version of the amendment as of Nov. 30
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
------------------------------
Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT)
Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)
Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sen. Bernard Sanders (D-VT)
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

When Sen. Merkley offered the amendment on November 30, he moved new language, amendment No. 1257, as follows:

On page 484, strike line 22 through 24 and insert the following:

(c) TRANSITION PLAN.—The President shall devise a plan based on inputs from military commanders, NATO and Coalition allies, the diplomatic missions in the region, and appropriate members of the Cabinet, along with the consultation of Congress, for expediting the drawdown of United States combat troops in Afghanistan and accelerating the transfer of security authority to Afghan authorities.

(d) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—The President shall include the most current set of benchmarks established pursuant to subsection (b) and the plan pursuant to subsection (c) with each report on progress

Key Amendments in the Senate to the Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill
Nov 21, 2011

Note: Over 275 amendments have been submitted to the bill, only a very few of which were considered before the Senate recessed for the Thanksgiving holiday. When the Senate returns on November 28, it will resume consideration of the bill.  

This list is divided into:
WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
DEFENSE ISSUES
FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES
OTHER AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENTS ALREADY CONSIDERED

Amendments pending or submitted

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

Iran sanctions: Kirk (R-IL), Manchin (D-WV), Blunt (R-MO), Tester (D-MT) and others amendment No. 1084 to require the President to impose sanctions  on foreign institutions that conduct transactions with Iran’s central bank. Menendez (D-NJ) amendment No. 1292 is similar.

Nuclear weapons triad: Sessions (R-AL) amendment No. 1183 to require the maintenance of all three legs of the nuclear weapons triad, those on land, at sea and in the air. Hoeven (R-ND) , Tester (D-MT), Blunt (R-MO, Enzi (R-WY) and Vitter (R-LA) have a similar amendment No. 1279 supporting the triad and endorsing all three legs of the triad.

National Association of Evangelicals calls for nuclear weapons reductions, other nuclear steps
Nov 09, 2011

Important step forward:  National Association of Evangelicals calls for nuclear weapons reductions, other nuclear steps.

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) represents more than 45,000 local churches from over 40 different denominations. It is the largest group of Evangelical Christians in the United States, and its members tend to represent historically conservative denominations.

Among other steps, the Association endorsed:
-->Re-examining the moral and ethical basis for the doctrine of nuclear deterrence.
-->Maintaining the taboo against nuclear use.
-->Achieving verified mutual reductions in current nuclear stockpiles.
-->Acknowledging and ratifying the de facto ban on new nuclear testing.
-->Increasing safeguards against accidental use.
-->Focusing attention on resolving regional conflicts.
-->Preventing the unauthorized spread of fissile material.
-->Continuing dialogue on the effects of possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons.

Military leaders question affordability of nuclear triad
Nov 02, 2011

Military Leaders Question the Affordability of Pentagon’s Plan to Modernize All Three Legs of the Nuclear Weapons Triad

The United States nuclear force is composed of three components that are described as synergistic:

-->On land, with intercontinental ballistic missiles
-->At sea, with nuclear-powered submarines
-->In the air, with long-range nuclear bombers

Each of the three legs has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of speed, cost, vulnerability to attack, whether the system can be recalled once launched and more.

All three legs of the triad are edging toward the end of their useful lives and at some point in the near-future, all three legs will need to be replaced – or eliminated.

It is estimated that the United States will spend $700 billion on nuclear weapons and related programs over the next decade, including spending on new nuclear submarines, bombers and land-based missiles as well as on new facilities to build new explosive cores for nuclear warheads.

Politico: top 10 Senate contests in the country
Oct 28, 2011

Hawaii cruises into 'Monthly 10'
By: David Catanese - October 27, 2011
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=375E7460-FB15-4EDB-A986-AE74B0CD1615

Republicans’ Big Kahuna recruit, Linda Lingle, hands Hawaii its first foray into the Senate Monthly 10 — POLITICO’s monthly ratings of the most competitive contests in the country. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Warren has cleared the deck in Massachusetts, moving the race up to the second spot, and a cloudy GOP primary pushes Wisconsin down a notch.

1. VIRGINIA

Not only did Tim Kaine outraise George Allen by about $400,000 for the quarter; filings reveal the Republican spent 83 percent of what he raised. It’s a rapid burn rate Team Allen sees as an early investment, but it’s allowing Kaine some legroom in the dash for cash, despite getting a later start in the race. It’s also unclear whether the GOP strategy of linking Kaine to President Barack Obama is effective. While the president’s numbers have dropped in the commonwealth, Kaine has stayed steady in public polling of this deadlocked race.

Who won October: Kaine

Latest poll: Kaine 45 percent, Allen 44 percent (Quinnipiac University, Oct. 3-9, 1,459 registered voters)

New START Treaty Aggregate Numbers of Strategic Offensive Arms
Oct 25, 2011

Category of Data       

Deployed ICBMs, Deployed SLBMs, and Deployed Heavy Bombers       
822 United States of America
516 Russian Federation

Warheads on Deployed ICBMs, on Deployed SLBMs, and Nuclear Warheads Counted for Deployed Heavy Bombers   
1,790 United States of America
1,566 Russian Federation

Deployed and Non-deployed Launchers of ICBMs, Deployed and Non-deployed Launchers of SLBMs, and Deployed and Non-deployed Heavy Bombers       
1,043 United States of America
  871 Russian Federation
______________

(As of September 1, 2011, as drawn from the exchange of data by the Parties. Data in this Fact Sheet comes from the biannual exchange of data required by the Treaty. It contains data declared current as of September 1, 2011. Data will be updated each six month period after entry into force of the Treaty.)

Fact Sheet
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance
October 25, 2011

New Hampshire monopolists
Oct 21, 2011

Last time I checked, the New Hampshire presidential primary was not written into the U.S.Constitution.

For those interested in constitutional fundamentals, I would think they might question New Hampshire Secretary of State's Bill Gardner's insistence that his state will be the First Primary In the Nation -- so help him God.

Yet Gardner muscles other states out of the way to preserve New Hampshire's prime position in the presidential selection contest.

Now there is something to New Hampshire -- although a virtually all white state with few minorities -- saying that having a small state go first helps to vet candidates in person-to-person contact.

Great argument for New Hampshire -- or Delaware or Montana or Idaho or some other sparsely populated states.