Republican Skullduggery on START was Despicable

It's one thing to undermine President Obama on domestic issues. It's another to intentionally damage national credibility and security to embarrass him for political advantage.

The Republicans' decision to block ratification of the New START treaty wasn't the same as first proposing and then -- when Obama agreed with them -- opposing such items as individual mandates for health care coverage or cap and trade for carbon emissions. As capricious as those tactics, they're still in the realm of routine partisan gamesmanship.

This was different. Presidents, consulting with the opposing party, have been negotiating in good faith with the Russians for decades. It's what's allowed the planet to continue remaining unfried. Remember, the previous treaty expired last year. Without New START we could have been back in 1968 in the middle of the arms race!

The current treaty, years in negotiations started under George W. Bush, reinforces the delicate relationship between Washington and Moscow. It limits each side to 1550 strategic warheads down from 2200 and it restores "Trust but Verify," the signature Reagan doctrine. America has not been able to inspect Russian nuclear sites since last year.

Further it reinforces a number of security goals on which the U.S. and Russia are collaborating such as limiting North Korea's and Iran's nuclear programs and securing fissionable material from black marketeers.

All this was jeopardized by Republican game playing.

At every step in the process, the GOP point man, John Kyl R-AZ, was closely consulted. The treaty cleared committee on a bipartisan 14-4 vote after 18 hearings and dozens of briefings. At Republicans' request Democrats delayed voting 13 times before the election only to be accused of rushing passage in the lame duck session.

Republicans involved in international security for 40 years had endorsed the treaty, including President George H. W. Bush and former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, James Baker and Colin Powell. Pentagon brass assured Congress the pact would not limit any future U.S. missile defense capability.

Yet after all that the Republican leadership wanted to start over. We've witnessed these tactics throughout the past two years. Dithering simply because it feels good. That the treaty eventually passed 71-26 with support from thirteen Republicans, nearly a third of their caucus, is clear evidence of their leadership's real purpose.

I'd have been a lot less skeptical of Republicans' so-called "concerns" if their senate leader hadn't said: "The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president."

Republican weren't alarmed about treaty provisions or the impact on future missile shields. Nothing was going to change in six more months or 18 more hearings. They had one thing in mind. Don't let Obama succeed. Even at the risk to national security! Pathetic!