Obama’s Gamble Pays Off on Arms Control Treaty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great story – it shows that President Obama can set a course, develop a plan, and make it happen. The “Yes We Can” mantra is alive and well, and Mr. Obama is showing that he CAN work across the aisle, get Republicans to join him, and do it despite some resistance from members of his own party. The more we hear about Senator Reid, the less impressed I am. Since I was never that impressed to begin, then his stock is VERY low in my portfolio. On the other hand, former Senators Clinton and Biden, in their new roles in the administration, have shown that they can be worthy partners with the president – and they have the ability to pull some levers as well to make it happen. Nice job, team!

Obama’s Gamble Pays Off on Arms Control Treaty – NYTimes.com.

The Cold War at Home Again?

I do not have much time to lay into the Republicans on this one, but it seems like their recent attempts to scuttle the “New Start” treaty smack of the 1970s and 1980s. Remember then? The Republicans seemed to think that only they could properly defend the country, whereas (according to them) the Democrats were always ready to somehow degrade the military and imperil the security of the country. Democrats were weak, Republicans strong. They won elections sowing fear that a Democrat would make us all Communists.

Today, the world is vastly different, so it is time to think differently about the world. Having the US and Russia make a deal on nuclear arms would send a clear message that we are serious about controlling arms. This needs to be done in order to start to put some fences around the nuclear ambitions of Pakistan, India, China and Iran. How can we try to control those countries when we cannot even control ourselves? Republicans need to get out of the way. Despite their attempts to question the foreign policy credentials of the Obama administration, and to suggest that he is weak on defense, it is the Republicans who  imperil our security. They even threaten to rebuke their own master.