Sunday START Reading

Are Rethugs really more interested in scoring political points against Obama than in safeguarding U.S. national security by ratifying the START treaty? Will the Washington punditocracy call them on it?

On the first question, read Joseph Picard's take in the International Business Times.

On the second question, read Doug J's post in Balloon Juice on how David Broder -- the personification of the Washington old-boy "insider" (very old boy)-- sees the START treaty as an opportunity for President Obama to proffer his posterior on the altar of Sen. Jon Kyl (Rethug-crAZy), for the sake of proving his seriousness about "bipartisanship." (Broder chooses to ignore the fact that a substantial bipartisan consensus already exists to move ahead with START: Sen. Lugar, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, George Schultz, Brent Scowcroft, Robert Gates, Adm. Mullen, etc., and the majority of the national security establishment, for example.)

Quote of the Day

"Nearly all of America's international allies have offered their enthusiastic support the pending arms control treaty with Russia, New START. There are, however, some foreign leaders siding with congressional Republicans. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, for example, is hoping the GOP succeeds."-- Steve Benen, posting in the Washington Monthly.

Russia suspended sales of an advanced surface-to-air missile to Iran, in expectation that the U.S. would ratify the New START treaty. Iran would like nothing better than for the treaty to fail, so that it can resume arming. Of course, it's more important for Rethugs to sabatoge everything Obama proposes, even if it harms U.S. national security and helps Iran (and North Korea).

Country First!