It was the day that changed so much in our country. While it would be hard to say that a country that has been through a civil war, two world wars as well as tough wars in Korea and Vietnam still had its innocence, in many ways it felt that way as we watched the events of 9/11 unfold. We knew in the back of our heads that there were terrorists out there, both foreign and domestic. We'd seen the World Trade Center attacked before and a crazy lone wolf bomb Oklahoma City. But we'd never seen anything like this. 2,977 victims dies that day, almost all civilians. Two of the most iconic buildings on the New York City skyline were erased forever. And it was the catalyst for two brutal wars, an Iraq war that would claim the lives of 4,792 U.S. service men and women and a war in Afghanistan that would claim 1,664 of our soldiers.
It changed our day-to-day lives too. The Patriot Act reduced freedoms that we had come to expect by allowing extreme measures like wiretaps without warrants. The new Department of Homeland Security introduced much tougher security measures at airports. And, despite our progressive protestations to the contrary, none of us ever thought the same way about an Arab face on a commercial airline flight again as we fought to fight our nature to stereotype.
It impacted popular culture in many ways too. Bill Maher was fired from ABC for saying that the hijackers weren't cowards (he has since found work at HBO.) NYPD and NYFD t-shirts and hats became the most popular items of clothing in the country. Shows like Lie to Me and 24 rose to the height of popularity.
Patriotism became stylish again. I've never seen the nation as unified as it was after 9/11. We rediscovered how much we love this country through our anger at those who attacked it. Our differences of race, religion and party all seemed meaningless, if only for a time.
On 9/11, we were all Americans, all New Yorkers, all patriots. Our economy is weaker than it was 10 years ago. Our political system is dysfunctional. Our budget deficit is huge. But our spirit is unbroken. Osama Bin Laden is in a watery grave and we are still standing, unafraid.
God Bless America.
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 9/11. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
A Fascinating Decade in Politics, An Awful Labor Day, 9/11 Remembered
The Most Interesting Political Stories of the Decade
The period of time surrounding Labor Day is historically a slow period for political news and this year has been no different. With Congress in recess and most of the American public tuned out, we are largely taking a break from budget battles and election campaigns that are sure to heat back up in the coming weeks. So, I thought I'd take a step back and recall what I consider to be the most interesting political stories of the past decade. For consideration, my time window is from election day 2000 to election day 2010, as historical a period in American politics as I can recall. In reverse order, here are my favorite stories:
(5) TARP is Signed Into Law, October 3, 2008
This story is fascinating on many levels. The economics of sub-prime mortgages and the subsequent financial crisis are well documented. But what amazes me is the political juxtaposition that all of this caused. A Republican President calling for massive government intervention in the economy. A Democratic Congress delivering a a corporate welfare bill with mostly Democratic votes. Key Republican votes bought-off with earmarks and set-asides. They say sausage-making is ugly, and this necessary (and ultimately not very costly) intervention in the economy had all kinds of twists and turns that caused it almost not to happen. Passing unpopular legislation in any time is tough. Passing it heading into a Presidential election is almost unheard of. That it did is nothing short of a bi-partisan miracle.
(4) Iraq War Resolution Enacted, October 16, 2003
The Iraq war would become issue number one by liberal critics for President George W. Bush's foreign policy. It seems in retrospect, somewhat absurd to get attacked by terrorists in Afghanistan and attack an unrelated dictator in Iraq, where Al Qaeda didn't even have a presence prior to our invasion. But let's face it, Hussein was a known enemy with no shortage of reasons not to like. Perhaps it is for this reason, or perhaps the fact that a congressional election was a few weeks away and nobody wanted to run as a dove, but the fact that the likes of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry voted for the war resolution, a position that they would forever try to explain away, speaks volumes of the political climate of the time.
(3) Lisa Murkowski Elected to the Senate as a Write-In, November 2, 2010
Does an Alaskan Senate election really warrant being halfway up this Top 5 list? You bet it does. Look, I realize that this was more a story for political junkies than it was a national news item, but as a purely political story (remember, these are the top 5 political stories), it doesn't get any better than this. After losing a close primary to Tea Party darling Joe Miller, incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski decided to run for re-election as a write-in candidate. Ultimately, she won by over 4% with her 39% trumping Miller's 35% and Democrat Scott McAdams 23%. Including Murkowski, there have been exactly two successful write-in candidates in Senate history; the only other time this has happened was in 1954 when South Carolina elected Strom Thurmond by write-in. And in Thurmond's case, he had the support of the local party (the popular incumbent had died shortly before the election, wheeas Murkowski was strictly an independent operator. And it was a bold signal that even in conservative Alaska, moderates could still beat Tea Party candidates.
(2) Barack Obama Elected President, November 4, 2008
Forget what you think of his Presidency for a second (and a majority of you disapprove, if I'm reading the polls correctly) and focus on how incredible the moment was. I'm a close political follower, but if you'd asked me in 2003 who Barack Obama was, I wouldn't have known. I do remember seeing then Senate Candidate Barack Obama's speech before the 2004 DNC and being awed. But if you had told me then that a man who's highest political office at the time was the Illinois State Senate, a man who was black, a man who had a Muslim name and a man who had attended a radical black church in Chicago (or at least been a member, who knows how often he really went, but I digress) would not only be elected President but win Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana in doing so, I'd have dismissed you as a real hack. But one incredible night in 2008, it all happened. The arc of American politics and civil rights will never be the same, regardless of what happens in 2012.
(1) The Florida Recount, November-December, 2000
There will never be a political story of this magnitude in our lifetime. This had ALL the elements. A stunningly close deciding vote tally in Florida (537 votes for Bush by the official results, 154 votes for Bush by the unofficial tally when the recount was halted and somewhere between a Bush win by 493 votes and a Gore win by 170 votes depending on the standard and the counties looked at, according to post-election studies), a national popular vote win for Gore, a drama set up by Gore losing his home state of Tennessee after never campaigning in it, the third-party candidacy of Ralph Nader gumming up the works, the butterfly ballot causing thousands of votes to incorrectly be case for Pat Buchanan, a Supreme Court case decided on party lines. This was Tilden-Hayes without the backdrop of the Civil War. And whether the "correct" guy won is still a matter of debate among the political class and the American public. The truth of the matter? We proved that the margin of error in vote tabulation is greater than 0.009%, the margin of Bush's official win, meaning that it is simply impossible to know who won with any certainty, except by looking at who was sworn into office. It's a shame that real voting reform hasn't followed.
I promised 5, but I need to do 1 honorable mention, which isn't terribly significant politically, but is fascinating none the less:
John Ashcroft Losses to a Dead Man, November 7, 2000
Before he was the Attorney General that famously signed off on all the controversial homeland security policies of the Bush administration, John Ashcroft was a United States Senator from Missouri. In 2000, Ashcroft was running for re-election against incumbent Governor Mel Carnahan. In October, Carnahan was killed in a plane crash, too late to be removed from the ballot and replaced with another Democrat. Roger Wilson, Carnahan's Lieutenant Governor and now-Governor of Missouri pledged to appoint Carnahan's widow to the seat if Carnahan won (if a dead man wins election to the Senate, the seat is considered vacant and the Governor can make a temporary appointment.) The vote totals on election night where 51% for Carnahan, 49% for Ashcroft. Thus, Mel Carnahan became the only dead man in United States history to win a Senate election. Jean Carnahan went on to the Senate for 2 years and John Ashcroft went on to the AG's office.
Have other great political stories of the past 10 years that I've missed? Send me your favorites.
A Miserable Labor Day
It's hard to think of a more depressingly ironic piece of news for Labor Day, a day built to celebrate America's blue collar workers to be celebrated with the backdrop of a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday that the U.S. economy created zero new jobs in August, the economies worst performance in nearly a year. Some would argue that is not quite as bad as it sounds, as the private sector was modestly net positive, offset by cuts in governmental jobs. But it is awful. Keep in mind that the economy needs to grow by about 200,000 jobs each and every month just to keep up with population growth. By this measure, since November 2007 (the month before the recession officially began), we are 15.6 million jobs in the hole, that is, there are 6.8 million less jobs and we need job growth of 8.8 million to keep up with population growth. So, just to get back to where we were in 2007, we'd need job growth of 400,000 jobs per month for six and a half years. And we aren't close. The result? An "official" 9.1% unemployment rate, but a more daunting decline in participation in the workforce not seen since before working women were the norm.
Remembering 9/11
Do you remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001? Where you were? What you felt? I think we all do. Next Sunday, it will have been 10 years since those awful attack in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania. We have been the right combination of good and lucky to avoid a major attack in the 10 years hence. We are a more sober, less arrogant America than 10 years ago. We are more war-weary, more pressed economically and know a whole lot more about radical Islam. We are more politically divided than ever and our problems are large. But we are still One America, a feeling that flashed back through our consciousness earlier this year when we learned that Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind killing thousands of our innocent countrymen and women had been killed. A whole generation will be defined by the events of 9/11, which was really the coming of age moment for the Millennials. Let's never forget the unity and national pride that brought us together that day.
Happy Labor Day, everyone. Here's hoping that you are off work and that it is because you get today as a holiday, not because you can't find work.
The period of time surrounding Labor Day is historically a slow period for political news and this year has been no different. With Congress in recess and most of the American public tuned out, we are largely taking a break from budget battles and election campaigns that are sure to heat back up in the coming weeks. So, I thought I'd take a step back and recall what I consider to be the most interesting political stories of the past decade. For consideration, my time window is from election day 2000 to election day 2010, as historical a period in American politics as I can recall. In reverse order, here are my favorite stories:
(5) TARP is Signed Into Law, October 3, 2008
This story is fascinating on many levels. The economics of sub-prime mortgages and the subsequent financial crisis are well documented. But what amazes me is the political juxtaposition that all of this caused. A Republican President calling for massive government intervention in the economy. A Democratic Congress delivering a a corporate welfare bill with mostly Democratic votes. Key Republican votes bought-off with earmarks and set-asides. They say sausage-making is ugly, and this necessary (and ultimately not very costly) intervention in the economy had all kinds of twists and turns that caused it almost not to happen. Passing unpopular legislation in any time is tough. Passing it heading into a Presidential election is almost unheard of. That it did is nothing short of a bi-partisan miracle.
(4) Iraq War Resolution Enacted, October 16, 2003
The Iraq war would become issue number one by liberal critics for President George W. Bush's foreign policy. It seems in retrospect, somewhat absurd to get attacked by terrorists in Afghanistan and attack an unrelated dictator in Iraq, where Al Qaeda didn't even have a presence prior to our invasion. But let's face it, Hussein was a known enemy with no shortage of reasons not to like. Perhaps it is for this reason, or perhaps the fact that a congressional election was a few weeks away and nobody wanted to run as a dove, but the fact that the likes of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry voted for the war resolution, a position that they would forever try to explain away, speaks volumes of the political climate of the time.
(3) Lisa Murkowski Elected to the Senate as a Write-In, November 2, 2010
Does an Alaskan Senate election really warrant being halfway up this Top 5 list? You bet it does. Look, I realize that this was more a story for political junkies than it was a national news item, but as a purely political story (remember, these are the top 5 political stories), it doesn't get any better than this. After losing a close primary to Tea Party darling Joe Miller, incumbent Senator Lisa Murkowski decided to run for re-election as a write-in candidate. Ultimately, she won by over 4% with her 39% trumping Miller's 35% and Democrat Scott McAdams 23%. Including Murkowski, there have been exactly two successful write-in candidates in Senate history; the only other time this has happened was in 1954 when South Carolina elected Strom Thurmond by write-in. And in Thurmond's case, he had the support of the local party (the popular incumbent had died shortly before the election, wheeas Murkowski was strictly an independent operator. And it was a bold signal that even in conservative Alaska, moderates could still beat Tea Party candidates.
(2) Barack Obama Elected President, November 4, 2008
Forget what you think of his Presidency for a second (and a majority of you disapprove, if I'm reading the polls correctly) and focus on how incredible the moment was. I'm a close political follower, but if you'd asked me in 2003 who Barack Obama was, I wouldn't have known. I do remember seeing then Senate Candidate Barack Obama's speech before the 2004 DNC and being awed. But if you had told me then that a man who's highest political office at the time was the Illinois State Senate, a man who was black, a man who had a Muslim name and a man who had attended a radical black church in Chicago (or at least been a member, who knows how often he really went, but I digress) would not only be elected President but win Virginia, North Carolina and Indiana in doing so, I'd have dismissed you as a real hack. But one incredible night in 2008, it all happened. The arc of American politics and civil rights will never be the same, regardless of what happens in 2012.
(1) The Florida Recount, November-December, 2000
There will never be a political story of this magnitude in our lifetime. This had ALL the elements. A stunningly close deciding vote tally in Florida (537 votes for Bush by the official results, 154 votes for Bush by the unofficial tally when the recount was halted and somewhere between a Bush win by 493 votes and a Gore win by 170 votes depending on the standard and the counties looked at, according to post-election studies), a national popular vote win for Gore, a drama set up by Gore losing his home state of Tennessee after never campaigning in it, the third-party candidacy of Ralph Nader gumming up the works, the butterfly ballot causing thousands of votes to incorrectly be case for Pat Buchanan, a Supreme Court case decided on party lines. This was Tilden-Hayes without the backdrop of the Civil War. And whether the "correct" guy won is still a matter of debate among the political class and the American public. The truth of the matter? We proved that the margin of error in vote tabulation is greater than 0.009%, the margin of Bush's official win, meaning that it is simply impossible to know who won with any certainty, except by looking at who was sworn into office. It's a shame that real voting reform hasn't followed.
I promised 5, but I need to do 1 honorable mention, which isn't terribly significant politically, but is fascinating none the less:
John Ashcroft Losses to a Dead Man, November 7, 2000
Before he was the Attorney General that famously signed off on all the controversial homeland security policies of the Bush administration, John Ashcroft was a United States Senator from Missouri. In 2000, Ashcroft was running for re-election against incumbent Governor Mel Carnahan. In October, Carnahan was killed in a plane crash, too late to be removed from the ballot and replaced with another Democrat. Roger Wilson, Carnahan's Lieutenant Governor and now-Governor of Missouri pledged to appoint Carnahan's widow to the seat if Carnahan won (if a dead man wins election to the Senate, the seat is considered vacant and the Governor can make a temporary appointment.) The vote totals on election night where 51% for Carnahan, 49% for Ashcroft. Thus, Mel Carnahan became the only dead man in United States history to win a Senate election. Jean Carnahan went on to the Senate for 2 years and John Ashcroft went on to the AG's office.
Have other great political stories of the past 10 years that I've missed? Send me your favorites.
A Miserable Labor Day
It's hard to think of a more depressingly ironic piece of news for Labor Day, a day built to celebrate America's blue collar workers to be celebrated with the backdrop of a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday that the U.S. economy created zero new jobs in August, the economies worst performance in nearly a year. Some would argue that is not quite as bad as it sounds, as the private sector was modestly net positive, offset by cuts in governmental jobs. But it is awful. Keep in mind that the economy needs to grow by about 200,000 jobs each and every month just to keep up with population growth. By this measure, since November 2007 (the month before the recession officially began), we are 15.6 million jobs in the hole, that is, there are 6.8 million less jobs and we need job growth of 8.8 million to keep up with population growth. So, just to get back to where we were in 2007, we'd need job growth of 400,000 jobs per month for six and a half years. And we aren't close. The result? An "official" 9.1% unemployment rate, but a more daunting decline in participation in the workforce not seen since before working women were the norm.
Remembering 9/11
Do you remember what you were doing on September 11, 2001? Where you were? What you felt? I think we all do. Next Sunday, it will have been 10 years since those awful attack in New York City, Washington and Pennsylvania. We have been the right combination of good and lucky to avoid a major attack in the 10 years hence. We are a more sober, less arrogant America than 10 years ago. We are more war-weary, more pressed economically and know a whole lot more about radical Islam. We are more politically divided than ever and our problems are large. But we are still One America, a feeling that flashed back through our consciousness earlier this year when we learned that Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind behind killing thousands of our innocent countrymen and women had been killed. A whole generation will be defined by the events of 9/11, which was really the coming of age moment for the Millennials. Let's never forget the unity and national pride that brought us together that day.
Happy Labor Day, everyone. Here's hoping that you are off work and that it is because you get today as a holiday, not because you can't find work.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
An Historic Victory on DADT, The Dream Act Falls, Jon Stewart Takes Aim on 9/11 Relief, START Wrangling Over Missile Defense
Don't Ask Don't Tell Will Be No More
At long last, gay members of our United States military will be allowed to serve openly without fear of reprisal. No more will we lose Arabic translators simply because of their sexual orientation. No more will our war heroes be fired in disgrace because of their family lives. No more will the military be a haven of discrimination. This is a great day for the United States of America.
I have often said that gay rights are the civil rights battle of our time. Today is a victory in that battle. Today is a victory for our military. Not just the thousands of gay troops who, at long last, will be able to proudly serve their country without being forced to conceal who they are. Not just for the boost that military recruiting will get by being able to actively recruit gay enlistees who would have shunned service in the past because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. No, this is a victory for every member of the military, who can be proud to serve in an armed forces free of discrimination that is taking a forceful stand against bigotry.
This victory was a long time in coming and deserves the celebration and pride of the American people.
The key vote on cloture passed by a resounding 63-33 vote, with all present Democrats joining both Independents and 6 Republicans in favoring the measure (Joe Manchin, the newly elected conservative Democratic Senator from West Virginia, was rumored to have opposed the measure, but was not present for the vote.)
I'd like to recognize the six Republicans that showed the political courage to do the right thing in spite of intense pressure on the Republican side of the aisle to vote no. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Kirk, Scott Brown and George Voinovich bucked their party to be on the right side of history. Good for them...while Voinovich is retiring from the Senate, the other 5 will face the potential of primary challenges and still stood to their convictions. It is gratifying to see that the pronouncements of the death of the moderate are far overstated.
I'd also like to commend Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman for his tireless leadership on this issue. Joe can rankle the Democratic leadership from time to time, but he has shown himself to be a true patriot. Let's hope the voters in Connecticut don't forget this in 2012.
This change in policy will never be repealed...progress marches on in spite of the resistors. It's a shame that there are 33 Senators that chose to be on the wrong side of history. Perhaps most disappointing was Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who at one time at least open to discussing progress on this issue. I guess his transformation from maverick to party hack is complete.
The DREAM Act Fails
The DREAM Act, a bill to provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the country illegally as children and served in the US military a path to citizenship will not become law, at least this year. The cloture vote failed with only 55 of the required 60 Senators needed to break a filibuster voting in the affirmative. 50 Democrats, both independents and 3 Republicans voted for the bill, but could not overcome the opposition of 5 Democrats and 36 Republicans voting "nay" (3 Republicans and 1 Democrat were not present at the vote.)
I had written earlier in the week that I did not see how the math could work to get to 60, so the fact that this vote failed is no great surprise to me, but it is a shame. I hope the next Congress will tackle the issue of immigration comprehensively, but I'm not holding my breath.
Jon Stewart Targets GOP Filibuster on 9/11 Bill
The bill to provide medical benefits and compensation to 9/11 first responders, which had been caught up in the GOP promise to filibuster all legislation became the target Thursday night of Jon Stewart's ire on the Daily Show. Jon had firefighters and police officers who were 9/11 first responders and had suffered ill medical effects as a result of working in the debris on his show to discuss their disappointment in Congress not acting.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee also spoke on the show, calling on the GOP to support passage of the bill.
My hope is certainly that with the tax bill resolved, the GOP will remove its opposition to the 9/11 first responders bill and that the Senate will find a way to pass the bill this year (the House has already passed it.)
START and Missile Defense
GOP concerns around the new START treaty appear to be centering around its potential implication on missile defense. Specifically, they cite that the preamble, in their eyes, appears to state that future missile defense systems could give Russia the right to withdraw from the treaty. The actual text of the preamble is below:
"Recognizing the existence of the interrelationship between strategic offensive arms and strategic defensive arms, that this interrelationship will become more important as strategic nuclear arms are reduced, and that current strategic defensive arms do not undermine the viability and effectiveness of the strategic offensive arms of the Parties,.."
The GOP concern centers around the use of the word "current", seeing the implication that "future" strategic defensive arms initiatives could be viewed to undermine the viability of the initiative. John McCain has proposed an amendment to the preamble that would change the preamble.
The preambles of treaties are explanatory statements that are non-binding legally but often express the understanding of the countries as to how the treaties will be interpreted. From this point of view, McCain's argument has some merit. But the Senate adjusting wording in a carefully negotiated treaty is walking on a knife's blade at the very least.
The vote on the McCain amendment is scheduled for this afternoon. I don't have a lot of intelligence on its odds of passage, but my guess will be that it will not, as most Democrats will not want to change wording in the treaty in a way that could damage Russian support for the measure.
Next up...back to the numbers as I update Obama's popularity tracking and assess several of the early polls in the 2012 race.
If you like this site, tell your friends.
At long last, gay members of our United States military will be allowed to serve openly without fear of reprisal. No more will we lose Arabic translators simply because of their sexual orientation. No more will our war heroes be fired in disgrace because of their family lives. No more will the military be a haven of discrimination. This is a great day for the United States of America.
I have often said that gay rights are the civil rights battle of our time. Today is a victory in that battle. Today is a victory for our military. Not just the thousands of gay troops who, at long last, will be able to proudly serve their country without being forced to conceal who they are. Not just for the boost that military recruiting will get by being able to actively recruit gay enlistees who would have shunned service in the past because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. No, this is a victory for every member of the military, who can be proud to serve in an armed forces free of discrimination that is taking a forceful stand against bigotry.
This victory was a long time in coming and deserves the celebration and pride of the American people.
The key vote on cloture passed by a resounding 63-33 vote, with all present Democrats joining both Independents and 6 Republicans in favoring the measure (Joe Manchin, the newly elected conservative Democratic Senator from West Virginia, was rumored to have opposed the measure, but was not present for the vote.)
I'd like to recognize the six Republicans that showed the political courage to do the right thing in spite of intense pressure on the Republican side of the aisle to vote no. Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Kirk, Scott Brown and George Voinovich bucked their party to be on the right side of history. Good for them...while Voinovich is retiring from the Senate, the other 5 will face the potential of primary challenges and still stood to their convictions. It is gratifying to see that the pronouncements of the death of the moderate are far overstated.
I'd also like to commend Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman for his tireless leadership on this issue. Joe can rankle the Democratic leadership from time to time, but he has shown himself to be a true patriot. Let's hope the voters in Connecticut don't forget this in 2012.
This change in policy will never be repealed...progress marches on in spite of the resistors. It's a shame that there are 33 Senators that chose to be on the wrong side of history. Perhaps most disappointing was Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who at one time at least open to discussing progress on this issue. I guess his transformation from maverick to party hack is complete.
The DREAM Act Fails
The DREAM Act, a bill to provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the country illegally as children and served in the US military a path to citizenship will not become law, at least this year. The cloture vote failed with only 55 of the required 60 Senators needed to break a filibuster voting in the affirmative. 50 Democrats, both independents and 3 Republicans voted for the bill, but could not overcome the opposition of 5 Democrats and 36 Republicans voting "nay" (3 Republicans and 1 Democrat were not present at the vote.)
I had written earlier in the week that I did not see how the math could work to get to 60, so the fact that this vote failed is no great surprise to me, but it is a shame. I hope the next Congress will tackle the issue of immigration comprehensively, but I'm not holding my breath.
Jon Stewart Targets GOP Filibuster on 9/11 Bill
The bill to provide medical benefits and compensation to 9/11 first responders, which had been caught up in the GOP promise to filibuster all legislation became the target Thursday night of Jon Stewart's ire on the Daily Show. Jon had firefighters and police officers who were 9/11 first responders and had suffered ill medical effects as a result of working in the debris on his show to discuss their disappointment in Congress not acting.
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee also spoke on the show, calling on the GOP to support passage of the bill.
My hope is certainly that with the tax bill resolved, the GOP will remove its opposition to the 9/11 first responders bill and that the Senate will find a way to pass the bill this year (the House has already passed it.)
START and Missile Defense
GOP concerns around the new START treaty appear to be centering around its potential implication on missile defense. Specifically, they cite that the preamble, in their eyes, appears to state that future missile defense systems could give Russia the right to withdraw from the treaty. The actual text of the preamble is below:
"Recognizing the existence of the interrelationship between strategic offensive arms and strategic defensive arms, that this interrelationship will become more important as strategic nuclear arms are reduced, and that current strategic defensive arms do not undermine the viability and effectiveness of the strategic offensive arms of the Parties,.."
The GOP concern centers around the use of the word "current", seeing the implication that "future" strategic defensive arms initiatives could be viewed to undermine the viability of the initiative. John McCain has proposed an amendment to the preamble that would change the preamble.
The preambles of treaties are explanatory statements that are non-binding legally but often express the understanding of the countries as to how the treaties will be interpreted. From this point of view, McCain's argument has some merit. But the Senate adjusting wording in a carefully negotiated treaty is walking on a knife's blade at the very least.
The vote on the McCain amendment is scheduled for this afternoon. I don't have a lot of intelligence on its odds of passage, but my guess will be that it will not, as most Democrats will not want to change wording in the treaty in a way that could damage Russian support for the measure.
Next up...back to the numbers as I update Obama's popularity tracking and assess several of the early polls in the 2012 race.
If you like this site, tell your friends.
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