Susan Collins Can't Make Up Her Mind On START Treaty

Well, folks: another week, another contentious Senate debate drawing nigh, and another lady senator from Maine interjecting herself at the 11th hour to gum up the works. Prior to the holiday, it was Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) dilly-dallying on her tax cuts decision, explaining how she felt she needed to "consider the totality" of a decision that she should have spent many months considering. This week, we have the START treaty and Snowe's colleague, Susan Collins (R-Maine), looking for someone to help her figure out what to do. Brian Beutler reports:

Today in outrageous new benchmarks for bipartisanship, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) says she'd be more likely to vote to ratify the START Treaty if former Presidents, George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush were to speak out in support of it.

"It would be wonderful if President [George H.W.] Bush would come out for the treaty. That would be so powerful and definitely help," Collins told the Washington Post.

It's almost comical at this point. The typical Beltway cant on Ms. Collins is that her long political career is due to her propensity for being a gutsy, independent thinker. What are her independent thoughts on the START treaty? Well, she'd really love it if someone who occupied the top spot in a Bush administration would do her a solid and tell her what's she's supposed to think about it.

Beutler includes the long litany of Bush administration figures who have urged the ratification of the START treaty. I guess none of them are quite good enough to square away Collins's opinion. Nor does she seem ready to heed the words of former Senator John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), who said over the weekend: "If [START-supporter] Dick Lugar...having served five terms in the U.S. Senate and being the most respected person in the Senate and the leading authority on foreign policy, is seriously challenged by anybody in the Republican Party, we have gone so far overboard that we are beyond redemption."

Someone please remind the honorable senator from Maine that she has a duty to discharge, maybe?

RELATED:
Collins: The Bushes Should Green Light START Treaty [TPMDC]

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Comments

[jonme]

08:51 AM on 11/30/2010

Senator Collins should vote according to the voters of Maine's will. I think she has forgotten where she comes from....and to want the decision of former President Bush is a huge laugh looking at the mess he made of our country. Time to go Senator Collins !!

[Virgil Starkwell]

08:35 AM on 11/30/2010

One must admire the discipline of the Republican party.

[tnnishi5]

03:32 AM on 11/30/2010

Wimp.

[Bon1042]

02:34 AM on 11/30/2010

You know, the very honorable William Cohen was her boss, she was on his staff and then ran for his seat here in Maine. I wonder what he thinks of this move on her part and the Republicans in general, like Kyl, McConnell on this issue. All former high level cabinet leaders and other important relevant former politicans support the ratification. Too bad he's keeping quiet. He was on cable making strong remarks about the Wiki leaks today. This is allegedly a national security issue as well. Cohen was also Clinton's Defense Secretary.

He won't say anything because it wld obviously be criticism of Collins. When either her or Snowe are up for re-election I'll vote for the Dem or Independent automatically. Just came back to Maine, so it wld be first protest vote for both of them.

[1kant2]

02:08 AM on 11/30/2010

What are you elected for, what is this dilly dallying? This has been hammered out for months in committee, what more is there for you to get? Or are you just a chicken?

[clearpepsi]

01:51 AM on 11/30/2010

ugh.. she's a weak leader, she'll have to see what election funding financial commitments the rnc can make before she "makes up her mind", what a culture of failure

[Querent]

01:31 AM on 11/30/2010

She can't make up her mind? I guess she hasn't talked to Mitch McConnell yet.

[ThinkCreeps]

07:20 AM on 11/30/2010

Would that be turkeys telling people how to vote for christmas?

[disprovit]

12:58 AM on 11/30/2010

Which bring up the question why the Bush's are silent on this? Maybe they are also undecided waiting to see what Rush Limbough thinks about it.

[murphysgirl]

12:57 AM on 11/30/2010

This is beyond sad and disgraceful..These senators continuously play politocs with national security for the insane purpose of sticking it to the president..Every past Secretary of State save Rice has publically spoken in favor of the START Treaty..

[disprovit]

01:03 AM on 11/30/2010

"Renewal of a nuclear arms reduction treaty has already earned bipartisan support from such Republican notables as James Baker, Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft, as well as members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff"

Looks like only entities against it are these current Republicans , North Korea and Iran.

[Oomingmak]

11:49 PM on 11/29/2010

What an attention diva.

[ThinkCreeps]

07:21 AM on 11/30/2010

So, diva is the new... ?

[thebuzzmanisone]

11:46 PM on 11/29/2010

what is with these people we elect them and they cant make up there mind only if we have the worst prez ever and his dad tell her what to do she should be impeached for incompetence

[ShinjiIkari]

11:46 PM on 11/29/2010

I'm afraid Senator Collins is taking orders from John "Cowardly Lion" McCain, who quit standing on principle, being a maverick, and generally displaying any courage at all for fear of the Baggerz.

Now Collins is echoing Dorothy saying "There's no place like home--when you don't have a primary opponent."

[1776 or 1984]

11:27 PM on 11/29/2010

The fate of humanity is held in these /DIOTS hands!!!!!!

The more I think about it, the more I realize that "intelligence" will be a failed experiment of evolution.

[1776 or 1984]

11:20 PM on 11/29/2010

It's only a matter of time before this Empire uses a nuclear weapon on somebody as a first strike.

The victims will of course not have nuclear weapons.

The fate of humanity is held in these IDIOTS hands!!!!!!

[theubermensch]

11:00 PM on 11/29/2010

The neoconservative agenda is alive and well. No intrusion in my life eh.....listening to the people...hahahaha!!!!!!