My Blog Posts

• Consequences of failure to ratify New START
  07/19/2010 05:13:24 PM EST
  Gen. Chilton: Russians unconstrained, lose insight into Russian nuclear arsenal
  
  "If we don't get the treaty, [the Russians] are not constrained in their development of force structure and...we have no insight into what they’re doing. So its the worst of both possible worlds."
  
  [General Kevin Chilton, STRATCOM Commander, 6/16/10] Brent Scowcroft: Nuclear negotiations thrown into chaos
  
  “The principal result of non-ratification would be to throw the whole nuclear negotiating situation into a state of chaos.”
  
  [General Brent Scowcroft (Ret.), President George H.W. Bush's National Security Advisor, 6/10/10] James Schlesinger: U.S. non-proliferation efforts undermined
  
  Failure to ratify this treaty “would have a detrimental effect on our ability to influence others with regard to, particularly, the nonproliferation issue.”
  
  [Secretary of Defense for Presidents Nixon and Ford and the Secretary of Energy for President Carter, 4/29/10]
  
• Chris Cillizza - The Friday Line: Can Republicans win back the Senate?
  07/16/2010 01:49:14 PM EST
  The kerfuffle caused by White House press secretary Robert Gibbs' acknowledgment that there are enough seats in play to flip control of the House this fall has eclipsed another interesting political debate: Could Republicans win the Senate majority too? The answer? Yes -- but it remains a significantly longer shot than the GOP taking over the House. Senate Republicans need a net gain of 10 seats, which, if history is any guide, will be difficult. The last time one party made double digit seat gains was in 1980 when Republicans defeated nine incumbents and won three more Democratic open seats for a 12-seat pickup. (Thank you Ronald Reagan!) Still, if the last few elections have taught us anything, it's that history isn't always determinative. (Thank you Barack Obama!) So, here's a step-by-step guide on how Republicans could -- and we emphasize could -- get the 10 seats they need. The first four pickups aren't that difficult to see. Republicans are heavy favorites in North Dakota and Delaware and have to be considered in the stronger position in Indiana and Arkansas.
• Gov. Romney: Birch Society or James Schlesinger
  07/07/2010 05:28:19 PM EST
  Former Defense Secretary Jim Schlesinger and John Birch Society Agree:
  New START Follows a Long Line of Arms Treaties from Reagan to Obama Schlesinger Endorses Ratification; Birch Society Opposes On Which Side of the Conservative Divide Does Gov. Romney Stand? The ultra-right wing John Birch Society recently opposed the New START nuclear reductions treaty signed by the United States and Russia. That group at least has been consistent; it has opposed all nuclear arms treaties between the United States and the Soviet Union and its successor state, Russia. These treaties, according to that group, date back to 1961 when John F. Kennedy was President and continued through the Nixon, Reagan and Bush I and II administrations. In its June 30 statement, the Birch Society stated: The New START Treaty is the latest installment in a long series of disarmament treaties between the United States and Russia (formerly the Soviet Union) that began in 1961. That period would, of course, cover President Reagan’s Intermediate Nuclear Forces Agreement and President George W. Bush’s Treaty of Moscow.
  
• Inhofe Fact-Free Opposition to New START Agreement
  06/23/2010 04:27:59 PM EST
  On June 18, Oklahoma Republican Senator James Inhofe became the first and thus far only U.S. Senator to outline publicly his opposition to the U.S.-Russian nuclear arms agreement. In his Senate floor speech, Inhofe stated:  “I remain concerned about several critical pieces of this security treaty: modernization, force structure, missile defense, verification and most importantly, our overall ability to deter our enemies.” Inhofe pointed out that he was delivering his remarks the day after the first Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the treaty. What Inhofe did not point out was that he did not attend that Armed Services Committee hearing. Nor has Inhofe, a member of both Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, attended a single one of the latter committee’s seven public hearings. Not one. He has a perfect record of not attending a single hearing. He asked not a single question of important witnesses: not about modernization, force structure, missile defense, verification or deterrence.
  
• McChrystal and Uniform Code of Military Justice
  06/23/2010 10:06:58 AM EST
  Unoformed Code of Military Justice SUBCHAPTER X. PUNITIVE ARTICLES Sec. Art. 888. ART. 88. CONTEMPT TOWARD OFFICIALS Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.