Dangerous and Corrosive Posted by Kelsey Hartigan

Last Friday, a memo about New START Treaty was circulated to Republican Senate offices.  The memo, which ignored the fact that New START has the unanimous support of America’s military leadership and wide bipartisan support, declared that it was “NOT time for the Senate to vote” on New START.  Filled with skepticism, this memo is indicative of a “very dangerous and corrosive” trend, which Ambassador Richard Burt, chief negotiator of START 1 under George HW Bush, identified yesterday:  the real problem isn’t the treaty; it’s that some of these Republicans just don’t trust the commander in chief.

Speaking at the ACA/ Heinrich Böll event yesterday, Ambassador Burt explained:

But there is a deeper and more difficult problem here… As people describe it to me, Kyl is part of a number of Republican members of the Senate that are more worried about Obama.  And this almost kind of reminds you of some of the rhetoric you’ve heard over the last two years. And the argument is this:

Yes the treaty has some problems, but they’re not big problems, and under normal circumstances we could support it.  But you know this guy Obama has talked about eliminating all nuclear weapons. And I don’t know if we could support a treaty when Barack Obama is president.  ‘Cuz we don’t know where he is going in the long term on nuclear arms control.

And that’s a tough one it seems to me.  Because what you’re really saying there is you’re not so much interested in the details of the treaty— what it constrains, it doesn’t constrain.  You don’t trust the commander in chief.  And that is sort of the argument you’re beginning to hear.  And what I’m worried about is if that argument gets traction, particularly if the treaty isn’t ratified in a lame duck session, I think some of the new Republicans who are coming into the Senate could buy into that argument—that it’s not the treaty. It’s the president. 

And that I think would be very dangerous and very corrosive. 
[Bold face mine.]

 

While the Senate has meticulously examined the New START Treaty—18 hearings, 4 classified briefings, over 900 Questions for the Record— some fringe conservatives have ignored the broad, bipartisan support for New START and instead peddled false accusations about secret deals with the Soviets…err, Russians. 

Exhibit A:  The GOP New START Memo.  I’ve included excerpts below which detail the paranoia. 

First, the section argues that the treaty preserves the triad.  Although the treaty may very well preserve the ability of the United States to modernize its nuclear forces, it in no way answers the question of whether the Obama Administration is sufficiently committed to that end.

Next, this fact sheet section states that the Administration is providing “$10 billion in new money to modernize our nuclear complex.”  While a true statement, it actually raises the question of whether this Administration is committed to modernizing the nuclear weapons complex.

The fact sheet then asserts that the treaty provides no constraints on deploying conventional prompt global strike capabilities.  This does not answer the question of whether the Administration is committed to developing those capabilities.

Finally, the fact sheet asserts that the treaty provides no constraints on deploying the most effective missile defenses possible.  Like other statements made in this section of the fact sheet, it may be a true statement, but it certainly does not answer any questions about the Administration’s actual commitment to developing and deploying a robust missile defense system… The Administration’s commitment to its own Phased Adaptive Approach is also unclear…   [Bold face mine.]

The level of distrust here is astounding. If the authors of this memo were half as concerned about strategic stability as they appear to be about the commitments made by the President of the United States, this treaty would have passed months ago.  What does this say about their motives?  The time to vote on New START is now. Not because we’re unsure about the political landscape during the 112th Congress—because New START is essential to our national security. 

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said it best:

“This treaty is absolutely critical to the effectiveness of our nuclear arsenal, our knowledge of Russian nuclear capabilities and U.S. national security overall,” Morrell said. “We’re advancing it at this time and pushing for ratification because we need this. And we need it sooner, rather than later.”

Morrell said urging action to be taken soon doesn’t mean Pentagon officials think ratification stands a better chance in the current Congress than it would with the next Congress. “We’re advancing this now because we think it is the right thing to do,” he said. “It is what’s needed by our country at this time.”

Comments

[lili]

links of london (in the UK) has a great selection of really cute cheap jewelry like
links of london jewelry and links of london charms and even the D for Diamonds collection exclusively for kids.
Some of their pieces cater especially for links of london rings
boys which is difficult to find, like their sterling silver football pendant set for just ￡18, or the sterling silver rocket ship pendant set for only ￡19.

[anon]

The question they fail to answer is how the rejection (or endless delay) of New START would solve their problem. In other words, would the Administration be more likely to support PGS, nuclear modernization, or missile defense if the Senate rejected or didn't vote on START. Better question, would the appropriators in the House (who really hold the purse strings on all these modernization programs) be more likely to fund the President's priorities if START were defeated? I think the answer is "no" to both questions. So it gets back to the simple fact that they don't want this President to have this achievement.

By the way, they not only don't trust this President to actually support the priorities he says he supports, they don't believe the Admin officials or military officials are telling them the truth. They think everyone is lying to them -- about the treaty's implications for missile defense, about the absence of secret deals on missile defense, about the negotiating process and the U.S. "wins" on many of the treaty provisions. These are military and civilian officials who have taken an oath of office to defend the U.S., yet these snarky staffers accuse them, over and over, of lying. It boggles the mind. We cannot have a functioning government on any issue if this attitude is allowed to stand and spread.

[remi online]

no, i don't think so, in my opinion that will not save the problem..

[Sohbet]

Thank you very much for your help right

[IdeaDigital]

Fought for the information of the site. This is very useful. I return to visit again.

[cheap jerseys for sale]

Best,I like it,Because jersey is cheap and beautiful.

[discount LV Handbags]

Finally, got what I was looking for!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it. Glad I stumbled into this post! smile I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you blog post.

[Designer Bags]

Thanks for the blog loaded with so many information. Stopping by your blog helped me to get what I was looking for.

[pandora]

Tracing the history and pearl worldwide in pandora charms Company now is the role of his greatest contribution. In addition, he also introduced to the reader that the pandora charm use different kinds of pearl early, such as California black pearls, Wisconsin purple pearls and Ohio simple beautiful freshwater pearls.
The book contains a series of the fabled pearls. Also describes pandora story in the past few years as a royal and celebrity jewel trading. One pearl's story often be mentioned" queen pearl", The American company had sold Napoleon's wife Eugenie queen a pearl. It is a royal pearl. But actually it is merely a New Jersey ordinary pearl.

[uggs cheap]

throwing him to the ground. Diving under Aragorn's blow with the speed of a striking snake he charged into the Company and thrust with his spear straight at Frodo. The blow caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled against the wall and pinned. Sam, with a cry, hacked at the spear-shaft, and it broke. But even as the orc flung down the truncheon and swept out his scimitar, And il came down upon his helm. There was a flash like flame and the helm burst asunder. The orc fell with cloven head. His followers fled howling, as Boromir and Aragorn sprang at them.
_Doom, doom_ went the drums in the deep. The great voice rolled out again.
'Now! ' shouted Gandalf. 'Now is the last chance. Run for it! '

[designer belts]

Just want to say what a great blog you got here!I've been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!

[data recovery]

Data recovery software retrieve restore deleted files recover windows hard disk drive deleted formatted partition restores deleted data lost due to disk formats and recover data from usb pen drive stick digital camera memory card

[ugg boots clearance]

Our ugg boots clearance nails aren’t just a convenient place to put colored polish. Nails, on both the fingers and the toes, are made of keratin, the same stuff our hair contains, only denser and harder. Nails are the primate equivalent of hooves and claws on other animals. Animals use their claws or talons to catch prey, climb trees, and defend themselves. Humans have evolved to the point where fingernails are not vital for survival, but there’s no doubt that they’re useful ugg boots clearance. They help when we’re performing fine motor skills, like untying knots and preparing food. They’re also important for scratching (a pleasurable experience most mammals enjoy) and grooming ugg boots clearance.

Toenails are less important than fingernails ugg boots clearance. At this stage of our evolution, they’re little more than remnants. Watching apes and monkeys use their feet to grasp objects reminds us that at one point it was useful to have nails on our toes, but they’re simply not as necessary now. Apes and monkeys also have opposable thumbs on their feet that help their dexterity. Since humans don’t have these, our feet are useful mainly for ambulation ugg boots clearance.

One thing that nails are not for is protection of the nail bed. Contrary to popular belief, they serve no protective purpose ugg boots clearance, and without fingernails or toenails, our digits would not be uncomfortably sensitive; the nail bed would simply become harder and tougher to accommodate the new level of exposure ugg boots outlet.

[ugg classic tall]

the highest-grade sheepskin availableugg outlet , is the age which suitable to restore the old, the every large or small varied assortment the classical design again returned to people's line of sight, from the wind series's return, 3 rewirings went forth to battle recently to Classic Short UGG the Garnett ... Classic Tiffany Jewelry. Publisher: Alina008. As we all know that ...ugg classic tall is packed in cartons and Blue Ribbon is the symbol of Tiffany jewelry..

[ugg boots clearance]

There the rocky roof came down close to the surface
of the stream, and from it a portcullis could be dropped right to the bed of
the river to prevent anyone coming in or out that way. But the portcullis
was often open, for a good deal of traffic went out and in by the
water-gate. If anyone had come in that way, he would have found himself in a
dark rough tunnel leading deep into the heart of the hill; but at one point
where it passed under the caves the roof had been cut away and covered with
great oaken trapdoors. These opened upwards into the king's cellars. There
stood barrels, and barrels, and barrels; for the Wood-elves, and especially
their king, were very fond of wine, though no vines grew in those parts. The
wine, and other goods, were brought from far away, from their kinsfolk in
the South, or from the vineyards of Men in distant lands.

[ugg boots clearance]

There was no need to shoot. The whole group scuttled for the shelter of various doorways, and UGG Boots Clearancewe pounded through their yard unmolested.
The track bore off to the left, but RosalindUGG Boots Clearance held the great-horse on a straight line ahead, towards the next stretch of forest. The rails flew aside like twigs, and we kept going at a lumbering canter across the fields, leaving a trail of broken fences behind us.
At the edge of the trees, I looked bUGG Boots Clearanceack. The people at the farm had emerged from shelter and stood gesticulating and staring after us.
Three or four miles farther on we came out into more open country, but not like any region we had seen before. It was dotted with bushes, and brakes, and thickets. Most of the Clearance UGGSgrass was coarse and large-leafed: in some places it was monstrous, growing into giant tufts where the sharp-edged blades stood eight or ten feet high.
We wound our way among them, keeping generaUgg boots clearancelly south-west, for another couple of hours. Then we pushed into a copse of queer but fair-sized tUgg boots clearancerees. It offered a good hiding-place, and inside were several open spaces where there grew a more ordinary kind of grass which looked as if it might make sUgg boots clearanceuitable fodder. We decided to rest awhile there and sleep.
I hobbled the horses while Rosalind unrolled the blankets, and presently we were eating hungrily. It was pleasantly peaceful until Petra put one of her blinding communications so abruptly that I bit my tongue.
Rosalind screwed up her eyes, and put a hand to her head.
' For heaven's sake, child!' she protested.
' Sorry. I forgot,' said Petra perfunctorily.
She sat with her head a little on one side for a minute, then she told us:
' She wants to talk to one of you. She says will you all try to hear her while she thinks her loudest.'
'All right,' we agreed, 'but you keep quiet, or you'll blind us.'
I tried my very hardest, straining sensitivity to its utmost, but there was nothing — or as near nothing as the shimmer of a heat-haze.

[Liushuanglin198606]

On my Egypt Air flight yesterday to Cairo, I witnessed one of the more intriguing in-flight exchanges that I can remember. A bearded, well-dressed man sitting a few seats behind me began shouting at the flight attendant. He was complaining that the in-flight movie was inappropriate. What are these “offensive images?” he asked. These included a 15-minute stretch of the movie where at least one woman at any given time was wearing a bikini. In a couple of scenes at a club, members of opposite sexes were dancing in close proximity while, it appeared, consuming alcoholic beverages. “Are we really all Westernized now?” the man behind me asked, as if posing a question to those of us in the back of the plane.

The man’s arguments were rather interesting. He pointed out that if you took a poll of the passengers,ugg boots outlet most would agree the film was morally offensive. He asked the attendant, “if we ask the passengers what they think and they agree with me, then what will you do?” The attendant responded, “we don’t take public opinion (ra’i al ‘am) on the airplane.” The man was right: most passengers, and most Egyptians – the vast majority of whom don’t drink, go to clubs, or wear bikinis – would object to the film’s content. But at what point do they have the right to restrict minority expressions of unfaithfulness?

It was an odd, amusing exchange that justified the otherwise unpleasant experience of flying on EgyptAir.ugg boots clearance But it was a reminder of the fundamental lack of consensus in the Arab world over the boundaries and limits of the state. There are two groups – Islamists and secular elites – with worldviews which couldn’t be more different. They live parallel lives in parallel worlds, with parallel institutions. They rarely intersect.ugg boots clearance One group believes it has both history and the Egyptian people on its side. The other side, considerably smaller in number, likely has neither. It does, however, have the power.

This stalemate has paralyzed the Arab world for decades now.ugg boots outlet

Sunday’s elections will be just another version of this.ugg boots clearance The main players are the Muslim Brotherhood – populist, religious, and righteous – and the regime coalition which, with its president soon to pass, finds itself in an uncertain place. Both sides are strong in different ways – and weak in others. Neither seems to have anything resembling a coherent strategy for dealing with the impending transition that is soon to come.

ugg boots clearance

[led miner cap lamp]

Specialize in manufacture explosion proof light, including: explosion proof floodlight, led flashlight, spot lamp, led mining light, led searching light with rechargeable battery in China.

[sesli sohbet]

The level of distrust here is astounding. If the authors of this memo were half as concerned about strategic stability as they appear to be about the commitments made by the President of the United States, this treaty would have passed months ago. What does this say about their motives? The time to vote on New START is now. Not because we’re unsure about the political landscape during the 112th Congress—because New START is essential to our national security.
sohbet chat seslisohbet seslichat seslisohbet siteleri seslichat siteleri

[E3 Card Readers]

The second one, you should keep the horizental place of your forearms abd make your upper arms close to your body and at the same time turn your arms toward outsidee3 card ps3

[R4]

Like several handheld consoles, the M3 DS can R4 Nintendo DS are afflicted with lots of malfunctions and issues if misused. These types of symptoms may include lines throughout the sport display in the course of play, audio concerns, frequent sport freezes, problems with wi-fi R4 Revolution for DS connectivity and multiplayer game play or a faulty touchscreen display. These issues can stem from faulty sport cards resulting from grime buildup, sign interference or perhaps heavy impact that straight damaged R4 SDHC your system. If the console set for fix, there are many troubleshooting actions you need to take.

[white iphone 4]

Je vous remercie de prendre le temps de publier cette information très utile, je suis toujours en attente de quelques idées intéressantes à partir de votre c?té dans votre prochain post merci.

[wholesale knockoff handbags]

how can I post a comment?

[hip hop]

güncel hiphop
haberleri vee rap haberlreri kaçırmayın ....
ayrıca underground gibi dünyadanhiphop gibi ve overground

haberlerde bizde .... :)

[Sohbet Chat]

Thanks you.

[Chat Sohbet]

I love you :)

[Sohbet odaları]

I love you sites :)

[cheap electronics]

Thanks you.

[cases for iphone]

Je vous remercie de prendre le temps de publier cette information très utile, je suis toujours en attente de quelques idées intéressantes à partir de votre c?té dans votre prochain post merci.

[No Prescription Retin A]

Very interesting and informative article. Read very easily. Such quality articles really very little now.
Buy Retin A

[Canlı radyo dinle]

Radyo Ulusal | Canlı radyo kanalları dinle, Ulusal radyolar, Radyo dinlemek istiyorum

[Çet]

thank you very good web site.

[chat odaları]

Very nice sharing thanks

[bedavapornoizle]

Thanks for the info from the site

[Best fashion designers]

I agree, ty for sharing this..

[Luxury Womens Shoes]

Thank you for the great post! I wouldn’t have gotten this by myself!

[米雕]

WRITE ON RICE-可爱米雕！，为您提供最好的米上刻字工艺。我们集米雕的零购，批发和加盟。为您提供优质，精美的米雕礼品和可靠的米雕创业机会。我们特别推出的米雕套餐，非常适合想低投入，高收益的用户，性价比极高。米雕(米上刻字）加盟请选择我们,点击什么是米雕。
LEARN write on rice

[knockoff handbags,wholoesale replica handbags]

Thanks for a great time visiting your site.

[Cosplay Wigs]

Oh God you are a genius person and a good photographer i like your pics thanks.

[Spy Watch]

This article is very interesting, I like it a lot for me to help

[The best knockoff handbags]

I very useful for

[havyar jeli]

Calendar according to the news in a day, between 50-150 is normal hair loss, instead of pouring out a new hair does not return the hair may be an abnormality in this case,

[beylikdüzü escort]

This article is very interesting, I like it a lot for me to help

[beylikdüzü escort bayan]

This article is very interesting, I like it a lot for me to help

[bakırköy escort bayan]

This article is very interesting, I like it a lot for me to help

[çet]

I agree, ty for sharing this

[chat]

agree, ty for sharing this

[Replica handbags]

How many bags do you have ? now I have GM M40144, speedy 25 M41528, Diraitofuru PM M40352, Diraitofuru MM M40353, Neverful PM M40155, Neverful MM M40156, Neverful GM M40157, keepall 55 M41414, keepall 50 M41416 and my most lovely Artsy MM M40249.

[wholesale replica handbags]

That's all I can say. You most definitely have made this blog into something special.

[avcılar günlük kiralık ev]

avcılar günlük kiralık ev

[beylikdüzü escort bayan]

beylikdüzü escort bayan

[escort bayan]

escort bayan

[replica handbags]

thanks for your article, i like your opinion......A

[beylikdüzü escort bayan]

beylikdüzü escort bayan

[Cheap Oakleys]

I came to your article from another article and am really interested in this learning about this, I feel strongly about information and love learning more on this. If possible, as you gain expertise, It is extremely helpful for me. would you mind updating your blog with more information?

[mirc]

mirc

[knockoff handbags]

Thank you for your sharing.It's very helpful for me,It's so Great.

[sohbet]

sohbet odalari ücretsiz

[Zip Repair]

This site community is the best article which gave me truly knowledge.

[knockoff handbags]

Great job! Keep working! useful post, thank you

[Invisalign Sandy]

Excellent Info. Tweeted about it. I?l bookmark this post too.

plc repair

[Asics Tiger]

mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I'm more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful.