More love, money pour in for New START Posted by Kelsey Hartigan

Over the weekend, President Obama said that prompt Senate ratification of New START is a "top priority" of his administration.  Last Friday, Admiral Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a group at Stanford University, "I believe, and the rest of the military leadership in this country believes, that this treaty is essential to our future security," and that "I hope the Senate will ratify it quickly."

Today, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged Senators to ratify New START “before this session of Congress ends,” saying, “Our national security depends on it.”

The momentum has clearly carried over to the Hill.  While the treaty is unlikely to come to the floor before Thanksgiving, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) said last week during a conference call that Sen. Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader, is committed to finding the floor time.  “I’ve had a conversation with Sen. Reid and I believe he wants to get this done,” Sen. Kerry stated.  Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid further confirmed, “Now that the election is over, hopefully the White House and Senate Republicans can reach an agreement that will allow us to ratify the treaty by the end of the year,” Manley said.

Republicans have repeatedly shifted the goal posts on New START, moving from one “concern” to another as questions were systematically resolved throughout the hearing process, which consisted of 18 hearings, 4 classified briefings and answers to over 900 Questions for the Record.  But depending on who you talk to, most of what the GOP is now saying can be boiled down into two canned responses:  Concerns about funding for the nuclear complex and missile defense.  Exhibit A:  Lindsey Graham. 

Since the beginning of the New START debate, Sen. Kyl has led the crusade for more “nuclear pork.”  In the 1251 report that is required by Congress, the administration pledged to spend an unprecedented $80 billion over the next ten years to ensure our nuclear arsenal is safe, secure and effective.  On top of that, the administration also committed an additional $100 billion over the next decade to modernize our strategic delivery vehicles. Despite the fact that this is an obscene amount of money, Kyl and Co. said it wasn’t enough. 

On Friday, the administration offered to put forward another $4.1 billion for modernization.  Yes, billion with a “b.”

As the AP reported, “The offer was for a boost of $4.1 billion in funding between 2012-2016 for the nuclear weapons complex that will go to maintaining and modernizing the arsenal and the laboratories that oversee that effort. Of that, $1 billion would cover a deficit in the pension fund for the agency in charge of the stockpile and laboratories.  The additional money comes on top of an additional $10 billion the administration had already agreed to over 10 years.”

NNSA and the national labs were already sitting pretty before the administration sweetened the deal.  As Jeffery Lewis explains, “[The labs] have gone from open warfare with their appropriators in Congress during the Bush Administration to a Presidential commitment to spend unprecedented sums on modernizing the nuclear-weapons complex. The Administration pushed Congress to pass a Continuing Resolution for the budget — which typically funds government entities at the previous year’s level — containing increases in NNSA’s budget. There is a reason that Linton Brooks told the Exchange Monitor that “I would’ve killed for this kind of budget.”

Kyl has now entered dangerous territory.  If he continues to delay, not only will he manage to alienate himself from the entire military leadership, but he’ll run the risk of spoiling the whole deal.  In recent days, the administration has made it clear that if the Senate does not forward with New START during the lame duck, it could “shatter the fragile consensus on modernizing the nuclear complex.”  As one senior official explained, “New Start puts nuclear modernization in the right context for those who worry how it could send the wrong signal to the world and undermine our non-proliferation efforts.”  Translation:  Screw up New START and you can kiss your nuclear pork goodbye. 

In a world where the dual threats of nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation pose the biggest threat to our security, the administration simply cannot afford to spend billions on modernizing our arsenal if our commitment to reducing it falls by the wayside.  The message that would send our international partners and allies would be disastrous.  There is a careful balance that must be maintained and the administration has made it clear that nuclear modernization programs go hand in hand with arsenal reductions.

As for missile defense, this talking point has more to do with a long-standing GOP obsession than anything else.  The head of the Missile Defense Agency, the commander of U.S. strategic command, secretary of defense, chairman of the Joint Chiefs and countless others have all said that New START does not limit our ability to develop and deploy the most effective missile defense system possible.  The administration has requested nearly $10 billion in funding for our missile defenses in fiscal 2011.  Unless Republicans really just want to put “1000 lasers in the sky,” the case is closed. 

I like the way things are trending for New START.  Caucus meetings will take place tomorrow—at which point the GOP will likely decide how it will proceed.  Substantive debate over the treaty concluded quite some time ago; it has now dwindled down to two tired talking points, neither of which are based in reality.   The administration is clearly committed to funding both the nuclear complex and our missile defenses.  The only thing left for the GOP to decide is whether it is with our uniformed military or against it.  Sen. Lugar (R-IN) recently wrote that “the Republicans can’t just be the Party of 'No.'”  New START will be the first test of whether the GOP can be trusted to lead.  As Robert Kagan recently explained to his fellow conservatives, ratifying New START is a “good first step toward governing.” 

Comments

[pandora]

In summer, we should wear a skirt that has swinging scene, wearing a small skirt that can expose body, with a variety of silver jewelry, pandora necklace, rings and pandora bracelets. Our youth should be bloom in this season.
Occasionally I pass a Pandora bracelet store, and that beautiful blue robin makes this hot summer more comfortable, and gives people a refreshing cool feeling. We can go the shop to take a look at that beautiful fine pandora jewellery. That beautiful jewelry on there is really very enjoyable. This makes me to think of San Mao. San Mao is a writer who I like most, I often read her book, he has a lot of collection of the treasure, those treasures may not be very valuable things, but each one has its own story.

[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.

[Hermes Designer Handbags]

I was reading something else about this on another blog. Interesting. Your position on it is diametrically contradicted to what I read earlier. I am still contemplating over the opposite points of view, but I'm tipped heavily toward yours. And no matter, that's what is so great about modernized democracy and the marketplace of thoughts on-line.

[Buy Generic Viagra]

I feel like I am in trance. What a wonderful music it is, definitely had a soothing and calm effect on my soul. Thank a tone buddy!!!

[Account Deleted]

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

[sesli sohbet]

In a world where the dual threats of nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation pose the biggest threat to our security, the administration simply cannot afford to spend billions on modernizing our arsenal if our commitment to reducing it falls by the wayside. The message that would send our international partners and allies would be disastrous. There is a careful balance that must be maintained and the administration has made it clear that nuclear modernization programs go hand in hand with arsenal reductions
sohbet chat seslisohbet seslichat seslisohbet siteleri seslichat siteleri

[London Wasps Rugby Shirts]

National Security again is the highlight in this story. Well hopefully they truly know where to put the money in the first place. Set aside politics first so they can decide intelligently.

[e3 card reader ps3]

When count 3, we can put down our legs and stretch our legs again. We can repeat this series about ten to fifteen times. After a period of acclimation, we can do some more complex exercise.e3 card ps3

[R4]

Like several handheld consoles, the M3 DS can 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 r4i gold concerns, frequent sport freezes, problems with wi-fi connectivity and multiplayer r4i sdhc game play or a faulty touchscreen display. These issues can stem from R4i 3D faulty sport cards resulting from grime buildup, sign interference or perhaps heavy impact that straight damaged your system. If the console set for fix, there are many troubleshooting actions you need to take.

[white iphone 4]

J'espère que vous garderez mettre à jour votre contenu sans cesse que vous avez un lecteur dédié ici.