Washington, D.C. – Council for a Livable World today released its annual national security scorecard showing that major Democratic candidates for President are bunched closely together with comparable scores.
The voting record for the 109th Congress includes 12 votes in both 2005 and 2006. The scores for the actual or potential Democratic candidates for President are as follows:
83% – Chris Dodd of Connecticut
83% – Barack Obama of Illinois
75% – Joseph Biden of Delaware
75% – Hillary Clinton of New York
75% – John Kerry of Massachusetts
American voters will certainly look to the presidential candidates for leadership on national security issues and the candidates’ ability to protect the country from weapons of mass destruction.
Council for a Livable World is a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization founded in 1962 by nuclear scientist Leo Szilard and currently headed by former Senator Gary Hart.
The issues used for the voting record included the nuclear bunker buster, missile defense, non-proliferation programs, the Iraq war, Iran sanctions, the John Bolton nomination, the U.S.-India nuclear deal and U.N. funding.
There were three Senators were perfect 100% scores: Tom Harkin (D-IA), Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT).
Close behind were seven more Senators who finished with a 91%: Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), James Jeffords (I-VT) and Russ Feingold (D-WI).
The lowest Democratic scores: Ben Nelson (D-NE) with 16%, Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) with 33%, and Evan Bayh (D-IN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Bill Nelson (FL) and John Rockefeller (D-WV) – who was absent for the Senate for part of the year after back surgery – with 50%.
The highest Republican scores: Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) with 50% and Richard Lugar (R-IN) and George Voinovich (R-OH) with 33%.
Fourteen Republicans ended with 0%: Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Wayne Allard (R-CO), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Jim Bunning (R-KY), David Vitter (R-LA), Jim Talent (R-MO), John Ensign (R-NV), Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), James Inhofe (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Bill Frist (R-TN), and John Cornyn (R-TX).
A complete copy of the voting record can be found here.
