What We’re Reading Now
May 15, 2012

IRAN
Iran upbeat on U.N. nuclear talks, diplomats skeptical
Fredrick Dahl, Reuters – May 15
Iran gave an upbeat assessment on Tuesday of talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog about its atomic activity but diplomats voiced doubt inspectors would gain access to a military site where they believe tests of use in making atomic bombs were carried out.

UK warns of more EU Iran sanctions if no change
Reuters  – May 14
The European Union will impose tougher sanctions on Iran if it fails to take concrete steps to allay international concerns over its nuclear programme, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.

JFK’s Nuclear Proliferation Warnings: Up to 25 Countries With Nuclear Weapons
May 10, 2012

Authored by Lt. General (USA, Ret.) Robert G. Gard, Jr.

On 21 March 1963, at what was then called a “news conference,” President Kennedy said that he was “haunted by the feeling that by 1970 … there may be ten nuclear powers instead of four, and by 1975 fifteen or twenty;” and in a subsequent response, he extended the estimate: “I can see the possibility in the 1970s … of a world in which 15 or 20 or 25 nations may have these [nuclear] weapons. I regard that as the greatest possible danger and hazard.”

These comments were made in the context of President Kennedy’s support for a ban on the testing of nuclear weapons. In addition to his concern over the dangers of radioactive fallout, Kennedy believed that such a ban would prevent other countries from obtaining nuclear weapons. He had advocated a cessation of nuclear weapons testing since 1956, and had taken a strong stand on the issue during the 1960 presidential campaign; and following his election, he had pledged that the U.S. would not resume nuclear testing in the atmosphere.

Following more than eight years of sporadic negotiations, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States on 5 August 1963 signed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, in space and under water. In deference to the Soviet Union’s adamant opposition to on-site inspections, underground testing was permitted so long as fallout would be confined to the geographic limits of the country conducting the test. The Senate approved the Treaty 80-19 on 23 September, and President Kennedy signed the ratification on 7 October, the month before he was assassinated on 22 November 1963.

Senator Lugar's Legacy; Political Consequences
May 09, 2012

Senator Lugar's defeat in the Indiana Republican primary will remove from the Senate its leading voice in support of the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR). CTR is housed in the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). DTRA manages the CTR program. It does so with a highly professional staff seasoned in the issues surrounding the prevention of nuclear war, accidental or purposeful

These alphabet soup  Washington programs and agencies are not household names the way MEDICARE and MEDICAID are but their existence is vital to make sure that countries with nuclear weapons are responsible about getting rid of their nuclear weapons, including nuclear warheads and missile launchers. warheads.

Beyond the important issue of nuclear control and reduction, the Lugar defeat has important political consequences for the Republican Party and its inextricable connection to the Tea Party , a voice of political extremism. The Tea Party, in snake-like fashion, has its arms and legs wrapped around the Senate and House Republican Parties. So far Governor Romney, the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, has not separated himself from the Tea Party.

I. Senator Lugar's Legacy

Senator Lugar is a strong conservative who believes in government that is accountable, responsive, efficient and effective. He is a builder, not a destroyer.  As a conservative he believes that a foreign policy must be stable as it reduces risk and prevents chaos. He cares about his country before stoking partisan wars.  As a conservative, he believes in the use of American power and at the same time recognizes the need for restraining that power. Lugar regularly voiced warnings about the adverse consequences of committing U.S. troops to foreign wars. He wanted us to have an exit strategy before we committed ourselves to long troop commitments fighting abroad.

Lugar stood up to special interests. Nobody fought the wasteful subsidies associated with our farm program as hard as he did. As a farmer, he advocated against his own economic interest. We liberals knew that his conservatism was a sharp area of disagreement as he regularly opposed critical domestic safety net programs or important innovations such as the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

Lugar though believed in the necessity of government. He was one conservative who recognized that raising the debt ceiling was not a liberal or conservative issue.  When Democratic appointees were competent he supported them as he did Justices Ginsberg, Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan. Lugar consistently gave his constituents his judgment as he vigorously represented their interests.

Responsibility and deliberation is part of what Lugar will be remembered for. That combination is now lacking in too many of our elected officials.

II. Lugar's Initiatives: Part of the Legacy

Senator Lugar, with his ally Senator Nunn (D-Ga), then the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, created a congressional initiative that influenced the direction of our foreign policy as the Soviet Union was falling apart. These Senators had the foresight to create the Cooperative Treat Reduction (CTR) program and house it in the Defense Department. They persuaded their congressional colleagues in the Senate and House to support the legislation which was accomplished two weeks before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Their careful work gained the support of then-President George H. W. Bush, his cabinet and particularly military officials in the Pentagon. At the time, bi-partisanship was still not an endangered idea. Its bi-partisanship and conception made it a significant innovation. Results matter. CTR deactivated hundreds of nuclear weapons. Better yet the legislation led to de-nuclearizing of three states in the former Soviet Union--Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. These states possessed more nuclear weapons than China, France and Great Britain combined.

Lugar and Nunn did not rest on their laurels. They have stayed at it, Lugar as a Senator, and Nunn through Georgia Tech's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and Nuclear Threat Initiative. They worked on practical ways to stop threats posed by nuclear, chemical and biological materials.

III. Senator Lugar and the New Start Treaty

Lugar was a prompt supporter of the New Start Treaty. He played no games. This is politically important because as the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, he is subject to a Senate Republican caucus vote. That threat of discipline from hard line Republicans, who follow a policy of no cooperation with Democrats, has made other ranking members quake in their boots. Not Lugar on New Start.

What is under appreciated is that the legacy of CTR, and its being housed in the Defense Department, led the way to the military officials understanding the value of New Start. Their solid support for its ratification put senior military officials and Lugar and the Obama Administration in the same place on New Start. That contributed to the support from Senator Alexander (R-TN) which brought further support for New Start.

The changes among Senate Republicans is far-reaching. In the midst of the cold war, a majority of Senate Republicans approved the Limited Test Ban Treaty in 1963. Long after the Cold War ended, a majority of Republicans opposed the New Start Treaty in spite of the military's enthusiasm for it. Their principal reason was they were opposed to any achievement for President Obama.

IV. Ugly Politics

The Lugar defeat shows that conservatives are not exempt from the fanatic zealotry of the Tea  Party. Voting for New Start, lifting the debt ceiling, voting to confirm Justices Sotomayor and Kagan are now considered mortal sins that require excommunication.

Obama's praise for Lugar for the work they did together on nuclear non-proliferation, when Obama served in the Senate, was distorted into making it appear that Lugar was an Obama lackey. As an old timer, I recall conservative George Smathers attacking liberal Claude Pepper in the Florida primary by saying over and over again in rural Florida that Pepper's sister was a thespian. Facts and quotes, even if by themselves are truthful, can lead to fear or a lie as it did with Lugar and Obama.

Republicans who win landslide elections as Lugar and Olympia Snowe of Maine did are now threatened in primaries because they do not measure up to ideological purity. Snowe chose to not fight. Senator Hatch (R-Ut) prided himself once on working with Senator Kennedy on anti-smoking legislation and juvenile delinquency issues. He races the other way now, abandoning the Dream Act which Lugar did not do.

The Lugar defeat shows that conservatives who speak softly, and carry a nuanced stick, are an endangered species. Being conservative is no protection against excommunication.

With it the Republican leadership--McConnell, Kyl, Boehner and Cantor-- are paralyzed by the Tea Party. In every respect they are intertwined with the Tea Party. The Republican Congressional leadership, by their silence and weakness, aid and abet political extremism. Governor Romney's silence on extremism makes him one who aids and abets political extremism.

V. The Future

If President Obama is elected to a second term, I hope he finds a way of involving Senator Lugar in his Administration. There is a place for statesmen of Richard Lugar's quality who will give advice without fear or favor.

Others need to take up the mantle on Cooperative Threat Reduction. I hope that Senator Levin (D-Mi), the Armed Services Committee Chairman, and Senator Kerry (D-Mass) the Foreign Relations Chairman, do so. Their task is to engage Republicans who will not be fearful. One such possibility is Senator Alexander (R-TN), who stepped up on New Start, and has been mentored by another statesman, Howard Baker.

That bi-partisan combination will provide a living legacy to Senator Lugar's contributions.

David Cohen,
Washington DC

Matthew Bunn on Senator Dick Lugar
May 09, 2012

For decades, Senator Richard Lugar has pushed for sensible solutions to strengthen American and global security, frequently reaching across the aisle to forge compromises for the common good.  He fought tirelessly for arms reduction agreements to reduce the nuclear threat.  With his friend Sam Nunn, he wrote the Nunn-Lugar legislation, which has led to the cooperative dismantlement of thousands of nuclear missiles once targeted on the United States, the destruction of thousands of tons of chemical weapons, and security improvements that have helped keep thousands of nuclear weapons and their essential ingredients out of terrorist hands.  Senator Lugar has long stood for the responsible use of U.S. power, coupled with principled cooperation around the globe.  He will be sorely missed.

Sign on to Letter to President Obama: Expedite Withdrawal from Afghanistan
May 07, 2012

Dear Colleague,

The American people have overwhelmingly come to the conclusion that our brave men and women in uniform have accomplished all that we have asked of them and it is time to bring them home from Afghanistan.

Members of Congress need to stand with seven out of ten Americans (including 52% of GOP voters) who oppose the war in Afghanistan.

We invite you to sign on to the letter below which closes on May 10, 2012 (ahead of the NATO Summit in Chicago).  The letter calls on the President to expedite our troops’ return and speed up the transition to having Afghans in charge of Afghanistan.

Sincerely,
Barbara Lee                                        Walter Jones
Member of Congress                     Member of Congress