Stop Rushing New START!
Michaela Dodge /
In their most recent op-ed in The Washington Post. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates assert that “Until a new treaty comes into force, our inspectors will not have access to Russian missile silos and the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals will lack the stability that comes with a rigorous inspection regime.”
Obviously, this is an effort by the Obama Administration to push the Senate to vote on the treaty during the “lame duck” session of the current Congress. But there are many reasons why New START should not be voted on during the “lame duck” session of the Congress.
The Senate does not have time to adequately evaluate the treaty during the packed “lame duck” schedule; especially because the newly seated Senators need time to become educated on the content of the treaty. In addition, the Russian Federation does not appear committed to New START ratification: On October 29 Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian State Duma International Affairs Committee (loyal to the Kremlin) proposed to his committee that it reconsider its earlier position in favor of ratification. (more…)