Postscript on New START

National Review ^ | 1/18/2011 | Keith B. Payne

[bt_dooftlook]

Postscript on New START The Senate was misinformed about the nuclear treaty.

In December of 2010, the Senate offered its advice and consent for the New START treaty. The debate over New START had been contentious, and the treaty finally passed the Senate with more votes against it than any other nuclear treaty the Senate has approved. The Russian Duma (parliament) is now in the process of approving the treaty (there has never been any serious doubt that it would). With New START essentially in hand, arms-control proponents in Washington already are gearing up with numerous exciting seminars and conferences to promote their next goals. The Obama administration also has begun to discuss publicly its future arms-control agenda, which includes further reductions in nuclear weapons and consultations with Russia regarding the U.S. missile-defense program.

Before moving on to the next step in the arms-control agenda, however, it is instructive to review the contentious debate that surrounded New START in the United States. This is a propitious time to do so because in the course of the Russian Duma’s ongoing ratification process, Russian officials have made public statements confirming the validity of some American skeptics’ concerns. The Obama administration may have been keen to secure Senate consent prior to the Duma’s ratification process in part out of fear of statements like these, and the Russians may have been careful to have the Duma consider the treaty only after Senate passage for the same reason...

[bt_dooftlook]

A damning indictment of our corrupt political class; contrary to what you were told, the new START treaty allows the Russians to build new weapons and launchers while forcing America to unilaterally destroy weapons. And, yes, the Duma believes that the START treaty as written and ratified prevents America from deploying missile defenses.

[goldstategop]

Its a damning indictment of Lugar and his RINO gang who rushed through ratification before they lost their clout. I guess the new START sits well with them indeed.

[neverdem]

Its a damning indictment of Lugar and his RINO gang who rushed through ratification before they lost their clout.

It's more ammo for a primary challenge.