Slate’s Fred Kaplan dismantles New START critics:
Clearly, their article is nothing more than a call for indefinite delay and therefore defeat. They are not serious about amending the treaty or tightening some conditions. They just want to kill the thing; they want to deal Obama a defeat. Above all, they want to quash the budding détente that Obama has fostered between the United States and Russia, before it gets too deep.
If the Republicans follow this sentiment and fail to ratify New START, they will be making a huge mistake that could have dreadful consequences for national security.
These consequences have little to do with the treaty itself—both sides’ nuclear arsenals are large enough to deter an attack, regardless of the fate of the treaty—but rather with international politics.
Sen. Jon Kyl, why are you really withholding support?
This article appears in Nov 18-24, 2010.
To make the president look bad, why else? You’d think the obstructionists would look back to 1994 and realize that even if they really don’t care about their country, it is in their own best interests to not completely shut the government down for two years.
Wow, Jim, looks like the campaign for Gabrielle Giffords to take on Jon Kyl in 2012 is well underway!
Wait, who controls the Senate? Oh, that’s right…Democrats.
Harry Reid and Senate Democrats are START’s worst enemy. Only Harry Reid can bring START to the Senate floor for debate. So why hasn’t he at all this year?
Oh, that’s right…liberal gamesmanship.
It’s time that Democrats stop blaming Republicans for their own ineptness.