Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), one of three Republicans to vote in favor of ratifying the disastrous START II treaty, now says that a vote to ratify the treaty during the lame duck session will not be acceptable.

“As Senator [Richard] Lugar has stated, Senator Corker believes it is far more appropriate to deal with major pieces of legislation like this in settings other than a lame duck session,” Todd Womack, his chief of staff, told The Cable.

Treaty ratification requires “yea” votes from 67 senators. Democrats control just 59 seats as of now, and that assumes every Democrat votes in favor. Then you have to factor-in new senators who will be sworn-in during the lame duck, like Mark Kirk of Illinois and Joe Manchin of West Virginia. So losing one of the few Republican “yea” votes for the time being is significant.