STOP THE START TREATY….URGENT

Posted By on December 6th, 2010

Why the Senate Must Not Rush to Consent to New START

DEAR E-PALS…..THE PRESIDENT IS USING THE “HAGGLING” OVER EXTENSION OF TAX CUTS TO SNEAK IN THE START TREATY DURING THE LAME DUCK SESSION. PLEASE COPY THIS AND SEND TO YOUR LEGISLATORS…..THANK YOU!!! RUTH KING

The Senate has never voted its consent on an arms control treaty in a lame-duck session.  There are good reasons why it should not do so now:

  • The administration’s representations about the Treaty do not stand up to scrutiny:

o   They insist the Treaty imposes no limits on missile defense, but it does:

§  There are explicit limits on exploiting land- and sea-based offensive missiles/tubes for defensive interceptors;

§  Preamble affords the Russians a basis to claim a de facto veto on our options;

§  Possibly unintended consequences for other sea- and space-based defenses

§  The Senate must see the negotiating record before voting its consent – not repeat the Health Care bill mistake by agreeing to legislation without understanding it

o   They claim we need the Treaty urgently to monitor Russian compliance

§  But New START verification measures are not up President Reagan’s ‘trust but verify’ standards.  Sen. Kit Bond, the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has warned the treaty is not verifiable.

§  At the same time, the administration claims there is no threat from a Russia with whom we have “reset” relations.  If so, why rush Senate action?

o   They claim New Start is strategically important but

§  The Treaty leaves Russia with thousands more so-called “tactical nuclear weapons” – an inequality that could prove dangerous to allies and stability.

o   They claim the Senate always backed past Treaties by overwhelming margins, but

§  They ignore SALT II was never brought to a vote: over 34 Senators opposed;

§  The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was rejected by a majority of Senators

  • The hearings held on New START to date were unbalanced and misleading (for example, only 2 witnesses out of 20 in the Foreign Relations Committee were critics).
  • Other matters deserve higher priority at this time:

§  Debate and block Obama Tax increases;

§  Funding the government – defense-related bills, in particular.

  • Requiring the three newly seated Senators to vote on the Treaty during the lame-duck session will not allow them to arrive at an informed view of its merits and defects.
  • The Treaty will be implemented on the watch of newly elected Senators.  Eleven of them have asked to have a say in its ratification.  Consideration should be deferred until they take office, new and more balanced hearings can be held and there is an opportunity for improvements to this accord.

For all these reasons, among others, the Senate should be encouraged to defer action on New START, not rubber-stamp it in an unprecedented and irresponsible way during the lame-duck session.

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