GOP now has 11 Senators voting to ratify START, Alexander says we still have enough missiles to blow attackers "to Kingdom Come"

Ryan Streeter

With Lamar Alexander announcing this morning that he will vote to ratify START, that brings to 11 the number of Republicans who have said they will vote join the Democrats in the vote. 

1. Lamar Alexandar
2. Bob Bennett
3. Scott Brown
4. Susan Collins
5. Thad Cochran
6. Bob Corker
7. Johnny Isakson
8. Judd Gregg 
9. Dick Lugar
10. Olympia Snowe
11. George Voinovich

Alexander is the only member of the GOP leadership to say he'll vote for ratification. And his floor speech contained a great line aimed at assuring his critics that a vote for ratification doesn't mean he's going soft: 

I will vote to ratify the New START Treaty between the United States and Russia because it leaves our country with enough nuclear warheads to blow any attacker to Kingdom Come and because the president has committed to an $85-billion, 10-year plan to make sure that those weapons work.