Vote on New START nuclear arms treaty delayed in Senate

Several Republican senators say that's not enough.

"The modernization numbers are about $10 billion below" what's needed, said Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee whose vote has been courted by the administration. "That's obviously something that has to be addressed." He also called for more detail in the administration's plan.

Modernization of the nuclear weapons complex "is a huge consideration for me," Kyl said in an interview. He particularly wants to ensure the bigger funding outlays in the latter years of Obama's plan, he said.

The administration, of course, can't guarantee what Congress will be willing to approve several years in the future, when it may not even be in office. But Kyl said the administration "has to reach out more to Democrats in the House and Senate and say, 'If we're in charge, you guys have to be serious about supporting all this.' "

Other issues have cropped up: whether the treaty will constrain U.S. missile defense, whether it inhibits the development of conventional "global strike" weapons, whether the administration has serious plans to modernize the Triad -- the fleet of strategic bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles based on submarines and on land.

Some senior Republicans have even argued that the treaty is not needed.

Obama administration officials have been scrambling to satisfy GOP concerns. There have been 18 hearings on the treaty and related issues, in addition to numerous private briefings. When Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, raised questions in one hearing, he got a follow-up call from Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

After questions in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last week about the Triad, the administration quickly arranged for two closed-door hearings on the subject.

Is politics at play?

Some treaty supporters believe that Republicans are dragging their feet on the treaty for political reasons.

"Some just don't want to give Obama a victory" before the midterm elections, Scowcroft said.

Republicans deny playing politics, noting that previous treaties took months to ratify. "The treaty needs to be appropriately reviewed," said Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), the minority leader.

But some Republicans may be wary of campaigns against New START launched by Heritage Action for America, an offshoot of the conservative Heritage Foundation, and a "tea party"-affiliated group, Liberty Central.

With an 11 to 8 margin on the Foreign Relations Committee, Democrats could have approved the treaty in a scheduled vote Wednesday and sent it to the Senate floor. But that would have probably amplified charges by Republicans that the administration is trying to ram the treaty through the Senate.

"If we forced a vote today, I would have won. But I would have angered some people and made them feel they weren't being included," Kerry said. "I think it's important to build a broader consensus." He hopes to resolve Republicans' concerns "in a matter of weeks."