The New START Treaty isn't just about a bilateral arrangement with Russians to keep their and our nuclear warheads under tight management. It is really about momentum in reversing the dramatic erosion of controls on a whole range of WMD materials.
If the US does not move START forward and validate so much of the progress that the Nunn-Lugar program has made in decommissioning nukes and getting dangerous materials under control, then those trigger devices and uranium and other paraphernalia become vulnerable to "hijacking" by non-state interests. Very dangerous.
And yet US Senator Bob Corker who had signed on to support START -- to put America's safety at the forefront of his and his constituency's concerns -- is now saying that he's going to drop out and risk putting nukes out into the world untethered and subject to corruption and penetration by terrorist groups because he wants to make sure that US military men and women -- who are gay and serving -- have to continue to lie and deceive about their status.
His price for securing America's national security: bigotry.
Bad move, Senator Corker.
-- Steve Clemons publishes the popular political blog, The Washington Note. Clemons can be followed on Twitter @SCClemons
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Always look for the money. Senatorial ethics are frangible.
If START is the only thing between terrorists and nukes we are already screwed.
But as for START, the dimmest bulb in the collection should know we are much more secure as a country when we and the Russians are abiding by treaties that monitor our nuclear weapons and materials. To vote otherwise degrades our national security.
As for DADT, this doesn't even take a poll, since it is about basic human rights, nothing else. The fact that the majority of Americans want DADT repealed now is icing on the cake.
I am afraid that for most Republicans the idea of giving President Obama any legislative victories is more abhorrent than doing what is morally right. Too many Republicans lack the moral character and integrity to do the right thing.
Mike
From every picture of Ford I can find, the man looks white. ._.;;
But if we & the Russians sign a piece of paper, then the Russians will not sell their nukes.
here's to the rainbows and unicorns...
I do not know when you were educated. You may well have been squeezed through the new modern era when skills such as reading and comprehension were not subjects that students were taught.
My ' rant' consisted of two sentences. After struggling to digest the words, you gave up the futile effort and just make up the issue that I said the Russians do not abide by the treaties they sign.
Obama completely sold out on money issues to the right in the "Bush tax cut" fiasco. Their levers, at least if one is willing to attribute even relatively "pure motives" to Obama, were New Start, DADT, and DREAM.
The frosting that Obama decided to put on the celebratory cake of The Republic Party was DREAM.
How does this whole thing not compute as having been an episode of atrociously bad deal making on the part of The White House?
DADT also is important to the President because of satisfying a segment of his base. But defeat of it is not going to damage him like defeat of START will.
Senator Corker is probably just speaking the truth for most Republicans.