Start Treaty Is DOA At The U.S. Senate

The Road To 67: Are Republicans Posturing Or Serious About The Nuclear Deal With Russia? -- The Economist

EVEN advocates of the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty between America and Russia admit that it is a humdrum document. “New START”, as it is known, merely builds on previous nuclear-arms-cutting deals, with a 30% reduction in each country’s arsenal to a maximum of 1,550 warheads and various modifications to the inspection regime used to enforce such limits. It is often billed chiefly as a confidence-building measure that will boost America’s efforts to stem nuclear proliferation and improve relations with Russia. It is not the stuff of which partisan rancour is usually made. Yet it is the subject of the first fight between Barack Obama and the Republicans in Congress since the mid-term elections earlier this month.

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More News On The START Treaty

G.O.P. Senators Detail Objections to Arms Treaty -- New York Times
U.S. Negotiations With Russia on Missile Defense May Doom Nuclear Treaty -- FOX News
Kit Bond: Scrap New START -- Wall Street Journal
The Case for Ratifying New Start -- Vice President Biden, Wall Street Journal
U.S. VP calls for early passage of new START -- Xinhuanet
ANALYSIS-Obama's uphill drive on START treaty -- Reuters
The Conversation: Re-'starting' Russian relations with the New START treaty -- L.A. Times

My Comment: What should have been a slam dunk, is now evolving into an international embarrassment for President Obama and U.S. foreign policy. I suspect that since the military brass and the Republican Party establishment were in support of the START treaty, President Obama must have thought that its ratification was just a formality.

He (of all people) forgot that in Washington .... nothing is a formality.

I know that eventually this treaty will be signed .... but the process (right now) has become completely political, and it has revealed President Obama to be a weak negotiator. First attacking opponents to the treaty, and now hedging on what needs to be done to get their support will not endear him to Republican Senators who are now embolden with their electoral wins early this month. ... and who he needs to be on his side for this treaty's ratification.

The end result of all of this posturing is that the START Treaty will be delayed until next year, and if President Obama is not able to come to some accommodation with his critics .... this Treaty will not pass until there is a change in the White House or a change in Republican Party support.