‘Leaky’ Leahy Slams Obama Policy
Written by Stephen Rhodes on November 30, 2009 - 
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Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) — known within law enforcement and intelligence circles as “Leaky Leahy” — is sharply critical of President Barack Obama’s decision, announced last week by the US State Department, to decline joining the international treaty to ban anti-personnel landmines.
“This is a default of U.S. leadership and a detour from the clear path of history,” Leahy said in a press statement.
“The United States is the most powerful nation on earth. We don’t need these weapons and most of our allies have long ago abandoned them. It is a lost opportunity for the United States to show leadership instead of joining with China and Russia and impeding progress. The United States took some of the earliest and most effective steps to restrict the use of landmines. We should be leading this effort, not sitting on the sidelines,” said Leahy, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Leahy’s supporters say that for two decades Leahy has been the leading U.S. officeholder advocating an international ban on the use of anti-personnel landmines. Leahy claims his legislation, including the world’s first export ban on landmines, was a catalyst in launching the international treaty effort.
The Vermont senator went on to say that the Obama Administration’s review of the earlier decision to stand apart from the treaty “can only be described as cursory and half-hearted.”
The Obama Administration’s decision was announced on the eve of an international meeting this weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, to assess compliance with the ten-year-old treaty.
Senator Leahy gained the nickname “Leaky Leahy” because of his propensity for leaking classified intelligence to the news media if he did not agree with a policy decision.
During the Reagan Administration, at the height of the Cold War, Leahy was forced to step down as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee because he leaked classified information to a news reporter in an attempt to thwart a decision by then-President Ronald Reagan.
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U.S. Statement at the Cartagena Summit on a Mine-Free World
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
December 1, 2009
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Following is the text of a statement delivered by the U.S. delegation in Cartagena at the Second Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Antipersonnel Mines and on Their Destruction:
Begin text:
The United States is pleased to attend the Ottawa Convention’s Review Conference for the first time. We congratulate Colombia for hosting this important conference.
In 1997 the international campaign to ban landmines gathered 855,000 signatures on a petition that eventually spurred the creation of the Ottawa convention. This global social movement showed citizens taking responsibility for their fellow citizens and alerting all of us to the dangers posed by landmines.
Our acceptance of President Uribe’s invitation affirms that the United States shares the humanitarian concerns of parties to the Ottawa Convention. The Administration is strongly committed to continued U.S. global leadership in eliminating the humanitarian risks posed by landmines.
No country does more to support humanitarian mine action in strong support of the Convention’s goals, including in landmine clearance, mine risk education, and victim assistance. The United States has provided more than $1.5 billion toward humanitarian mine action and removing explosive remnants of war in 47 countries.
Equally significant, the United States has ended use of all non-detectable mines, both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines.
The United States will also end all use of persistent mines, both anti-personnel and anti-vehicle, by the end of next year, in 2010.
The United States continues to abide by its obligations as a member of the Amended Mines Protocol to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
The Administration’s decision to attend this Review Conference is the result of an on-going comprehensive review of U.S. landmine policy initiated at the direction of President Obama.
This is the first comprehensive review since 2003. As such, it will take some time to complete, given that we must ensure that all factors are considered, including possible alternatives to meet our national defense needs and security commitments to our friends and allies to ensure protection of U.S. troops and the civilians they protect around the world.
The Administration applauds the significant accomplishments to date by the Convention in addressing the harmful effects of indiscriminate landmines and is committed to a continued U.S. leadership role in humanitarian mine action.
Text: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/dec/132891.htm
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