Fresh off an election victory they say resulted from Democrats not listening to the American people, Republicans are busy plugging their own ears. The latest obstructionism revolves around approval of a new nuclear weapons treaty negotiated between President Obama and Russian President Medvedev. The treaty would reduce the number of nuclear warheads held by both countries and set up a mutual inspection system so each side could verify the other’s compliance. It is supported by 2/3 of the American public, including a majority of Republicans. Support for it has also been voiced by the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, as well as past Secretaries of State and Secretaries of Defense from both parties.
Unfortunately, Republicans in congress have made it clear that their number 1 priority in the next two years is to deny Obama a 2nd term. A goal not served by allowing the President the kind of foreign policy victory afforded by a major arms reduction treaty. As a result, Republican Senators are withholding support for the treaty, casting serious doubt on it’s passage anytime soon. Whether or not the treaty is beneficial to the nation’s security is beside the point, and of secondary importance compared to continuing their two year old tradition of obstructing every Obama initiative they possibly can.
Reasons cited for reluctance to move forward on the treaty include the congressional workload between now and January (apparently it is hard work saying "no" to everything else, leaving little time to say "no" to this), and concerns over a reduction in American nuclear deterrence (because the 1,550 warheads allowed by the treaty will not make a big enough mushroom cloud). In the meantime, it has now been nearly a year since the last START treaty expired, and in that time we have had no inspection capability on the ground in Russia to monitor their nuclear activity. Additionally, there are growing concerns that failure to get the treaty ratified will lead to less cooperation from Russia on international issues, including keeping rogue nations like Iran contained. As a result, it is clear that our national security interests are best served by implementing this treaty.
For as much noise as Republican politicians have made about the Democrats in Washington not listening to the will of the people, there are some facts they need to familiarize themselves with. Poll after poll shows that a large majority of Americans want the parties to work together. Polls also show that a large majority of Americans think the START treaty should be ratified. It is time for the Republicans to put away their anti-Obama crusade and get to work. The will of the people is obvious in this case. Let’s get it done.
Repost from my blog