What is the real lesson of Bill Clinton's decisive victory in securing ratification of a chemical weapons treaty which undermines U.S. national security and places in jeopardy the Constitutional rights of American citizens?

"CONSERVATIVE MOVEMENT" HAS "A SEAT AT THE TABLE", BUT THEIR BEGGING BOWLS ARE EMPTY

The lesson is that the "conservative Republican" movement in Washington, D.C. has absolutely no decisive influence with the leadership of the Republican Party whenever patriotism conflicts with profit, whenever love of America's national independence interferes with the goals of New World Order advocates.

Virtually every nationally recognized "conservative Republican" organization took a public stand in opposition to the treaty – from the American Conservative Union to the Family Research Council, from Americans for Tax Reform to the Free Congress Foundation, from Eagle Forum to Concerned Women for America.

REPUBLICAN ROUNDHEELS ROLL OVER FOR CLINTON –PAULA JONES KNEW HOW TO SAY "NO" – WHY CAN'T THEY?

DEMOCRATS

But, when push came to shove, Trent Lott (R-Miss.), Spencer Abraham (Mich.), John Chafee (R.I.), Dan Coats (Ind.), Thad Cochran (Miss.), Susan Collins (Maine), Alfonse D'Amato (N.Y.), Mike DeWine (Ohio), Pete Domenici (N.M.), Michael Enzi (Wyo.), Bill Frist (Tenn.), Slade Gorton (Wash.), Judd Gregg (N.H.), Chuck Hagel (Neb.), Orrin Hatch (Utah), Jim Jeffords (Vt.), Dick Lugar (Ind.), John McCain (Ariz.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Frank Murkowski (Alaska), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Bill Roth (Del.), Rick Santorum (Pa.), Gordon Smith (Ore.), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Arlen Specter (Pa.), Ted Stevens (Alaska), Craig Thomas (Wyo.), and John Warner (Va.) found it more convenient to put substantive concerns on the back burner and deliver their votes to their supposed adversary, Bill Clinton, than to heed the meritorious arguments of faithful allies in the conservative Republican movement.

THE TREATY LOBBY RENTED SYMMS AND LEHN TO DELIVER DOLE

And, yes, greed had something to do with it as well. A key factor in Clinton's victory was the decision by 1996 GOP Presidential nominee Bob Dole to repudiate his campaign stand opposing the treaty and to, instead, show up for a White House-orchestrated "photo op" with the man who beat him on November 5.

If you think Dole made this decision on the merits, my heart goes out to you for your lack of discernment. Trust me, there were other factors at work. Here are some facts to consider: (1) Mr. Dole has just signed on as a top level "fixer" and "door opener" with a high-priced Washington law firm. Now that he's on such obviously good terms with the White House, that fact, combined with his already known ability to deliver Republican votes (not to mention Newt Gingrich's $300,000 indebtedness), makes him even more attractive to prospective clients.

(2) And there's something else to consider. The chemical industry several months ago hired former "conservative Republican" Senator Steve Symms of Idaho to lobby in behalf of the Bush-Clinton treaty. According to published accounts, his firm was paid many thousands of dollars each month for loaning treaty advocates his reputation and his contacts. Symms' partner in this enterprise is Al Lehn, formerly a key legislative strategist on the staff of then-Senator Bob Dole. Moreover, Senator Symms' second wife, Loretta, was also a top aide to Bob Dole. The chemical manufacturers got a real bargain when they rented Symms and Lehn – three for the price of two.

SELLOUT OF U.S. SECURITY INTERESTS IS PROFITABLE TO BIG BUSINESS

Why, you may ask, were the Chemical Manufacturers in support of this treaty, the result of which is to make available to the whole world many of America's chemical secrets? According to The Wall Street Journal (4/24/97, p. A18), the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) not only will permit trade in 20 potentially deadly chemicals "it will require it. American companies currently are restricted from exporting these dual-use chemicals under the terms of an organization called the Australia Group, which is made up of 29 Western countries committed to ensuring that their exports don't contribute to the spread of chemical weapons.

"But Articles X and XI of the CWC require member countries to transfer chemicals and technology to any other member country that asks. This goes a long way toward explaining why the Chemical Manufacturers Association is so loud in its support of the treaty."

RED CHINA, TERRORIST IRAN, AND COMMUNIST CUBA ARE BIG WINNERS

"Senators who are still considering how to vote might consider whether selling such chemicals to China or Iran or Cuba will help make the world safe from chemical weapons – or make the world a more dangerous place."

The arguments against the "Chemical Weapons Convention" are comprehensive, but I don't think anyone has better summed them up than did Jesse Helms in a commentary in April, 1997.

TREATY FORCES U.S. TO SHARE CHEMICAL WEAPONS WITH HOSTILE REGIMES
By Senator Jesse Helms

"[T]he fact that the treaty won't touch terrorist states such as Libya, Iraq, Syria and North Korea...the treaty is unverifiable; Russia's cheating on it even before the convention goes into effect; and the administration's incredible refusal to bar inspectors from hostile nations such as Iran and China. Each of these defects in and of itself is reason enough to oppose the treaty."

IRAN AND CHINA CAN INSPECT U.S. FACTORIES

"But the one issue that has raised the greatest concern...is the Clinton administration's refusal to modify the treaty's Articles 10 and 11.

"These controversial provisions require the transfer of dangerous chemical agents, defensive gear and know-how to any nation that joins the CWC – including terrorist states such as Iran and Cuba, and known proliferators such as Russia and China, Articles 10 and 11, former defense secretary Dick Cheney told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this month ‘amount to a formula for greatly accelerating the proliferation of chemical warfare capabilities around the world.’...

"[W]ith Articles 10 and 11 unmodified, the CWC is far worse than nothing. Instead of halting the spread of poison gas, the CWC will be aiding in its proliferation by helping countries such as Iran modernize their chemical arsenals, giving them access to our secrets for defending against poison gas attack and giving a U.S. imprimatur to third-country transfers of dangerous chemicals and defensive technology to rogue states."

"POISONS FOR PEACE"

"Anyone who wants a road map for how this will work need only examine how Russia has taken advantage of similar provisions in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Russia is at this moment using the NPT to justify its sale of nuclear reactors to Iran under a provision known as ‘Atoms for Peace.’ Under the CWC's Articles 10 and 11 – ‘Poisons for Peace’ – if Russia or China decides, for example, to build a chemical manufacturing facility in Iran (giving that terrorist regime the chemical agents and high technology it needs to build chemical weapons), Russia and China not only could argue that they are allowed to give Iran this technology, but that they are obligated to do so under a treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate."

CWC DESTROYS OUR DEFENSES AGAINST TERRORISM

"Worse, the Chemical Weapons Convention also requires that we share our latest advanced chemical defensive gear....Through reverse engineering, Iran can easily figure out how to penetrate our defensive technologies. This would not only endanger our troops, increasing their risk of exposure to poison gas, it would increase the chances of a chemical attack by undermining the deterrent value of our defenses....

"[O]nce the free flow of U.S. chemical and defensive secrets between signatories [sic] nations begins, it will be impossible to prevent the transfer of these secrets to rogue states that do not sign the treaty. Can anyone really believe, for example, that Iran will not share this information with its terrorist allies Syria and Libya?...the CWC will increase the spread of chemical weapons rather than stopping it."

ELEPHANTS NEVER REMEMBER

There's an old story that elephants never forget. I wish it were true. The tragedy is that conservative Republicans never remember. They never remember that Republicans have sold them out on NAFTA, the Fed, the World Trade Organization, bailouts of the U.N., Planned Parenthood subsidies, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Legal Services Corporation, Bosnia, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, homosexual subsidies, Federal control of education, quotas, immigration, taxes, spending, and almost everything else that really matters.