Much to the dismay of Rich "Starbursts" Lowry and Dick Morris (whose primary goal is defeating Obama, never mind that it's a nuclear arms reduction treaty he's talking about), GOP opposition to ratification of the START Treaty seems to be crumbling. This morning, Lamar Alexander announced his support for the pact on the Senate floor.
"Madam President, I will vote to ratify the new START treaty with Russia -- because it leaves our country with enough nuclear warheads to blow any attacker to Kingdom Come, and because the president has committed to an $85 billion, ten-year plan to make sure that those weapons work," Alexander said on the Senate floor just now.
"I will vote for the treaty because it allows for inspection of Russian warheads, and because our military leaders say it does nothing to interfere with the development of a missile defense system. I will vote for the treaty because the last six Republican Secretaries of State support its ratification. In short, I'm convinced that Americans are safer and more secure with the new START treaty than without it."
The cloture vote could come as early as this afternoon, and at this point seems to be a done deal, unless McConnell, Graham, and Kyl can pull and obstruction rabbit out of their collective hat. It probably won't work, however. It seems like enough Republicans have come to their senses about the company they are keeping on this one.