What Bad Deals Have In Common

President Obama Flunks ‘Make A Deal 101’, Newsday, December 6, 2013. "The administration has made four big international deals since 2009: the New START Treaty with Russia, the UN Arms Trade Treaty, the Syrian chemical weapons arrangement and, now, the enrichment deal with Iran. They share a disturbing set of characteristics."

Obama's Irrelevant Rhetoric in Berlin

Barack Obama Still Sees World Through a Cold War Lens, Newsday, June 21, 2013. "The fact that the United States has nuclear weapons has nothing to do with the scarcity of peace and justice in the world. Our nuclear weapons did not cause the war in Syria. They do not make al-Qaida hate us. They have no connection with the lack of justice in Iran. The president’s words have no contact with reality."

Arms Control and the Need for Verification

Missing the Point on Arms Control, Contentions, September 13, 2012. "Over the last several weeks, Rose Gottemoeller, the Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, has given speeches in Stockholm and Helsinki that, while focusing on Europe, set out the Administration’s broader philosophy on arms control and verification. This philosophy is profoundly misguided."

Questions Without Answers on New START

Is New START Compatible with the U.S.-U.K. Mutual Defence Agreement?, Heritage Foundation Foundry, February 9, 2011. "The Special Relationship between the U.S. and Britain has many facets, but at its core is close cooperation in the military and intelligence realms. And at the heart of our military cooperation is the U.S.-U.K. Mutual Defence Agreement. Signed in 1958, and renewed every ten years – most recently in 2004 – the Agreement provides for Anglo-American collaboration in nuclear technology. It provides the legal basis for the transfer to Britain of U.S.-made Trident II missiles, which are the launch platform for Britain’s nuclear deterrent, and for the much broader sharing of nuclear information between the two countries."

Skybolt and New START

That Good Old 'Pattern of Cooperation'," Contentions, February 8, 2011. "Over the last few days, the conservative media and blogosphere in the U.S. and Britain have been roiled by WikiLeaks documents suggesting that, in order to secure Russia’s agreement to the New START Treaty, the U.S. agreed to disclose information about the Trident missiles it transfers to Britain. Media Matters predictably claims that there is nothing untoward involved, it’s all an invention of the “right-wing media.” And P.J. Crowley argued that New START simply “carried forward and updated this notification procedure” from the 1991 START Treaty. Yet a careful reading of the 1991 and 2011 treaties reveals significant differences between the U.S.’s obligations vis-à-vis Britain and Russia in these treaties."

Another New START Problem

New START and the Special Relationship: A Case to Answer, Heritage Foundation Foundry, February 8, 2011. "Last Friday, British newspapers reported that the U.S. had agreed to supply Russia with sensitive information on Britain’s nuclear deterrent in order to win Russian agreement to the New START Treaty. Over the weekend, State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley described this claim as “bunk” and asserted that New START simply “carried forward and updated this notification procedure to the new treaty” from the 1991 START Treaty. The Wikileaks document on which the original story was based, and the treaties of 1991 and 2011, tell a different story."

Response to State of the Union

Reaction Roundup: Heritage Responds to the State of the Union, Heritage Foundation Foundry, January 25, 2011. "In the opening section of his address, the President referred to the need to “sustain the leadership that has made America not just a place on a map, but a light to the world.” Those are certainly words that conservatives can endorse and respect, just as they will agree with his statement that America is “the first nation the be founded for the sake of an idea.” As Matthew Spalding has stated, the American creed 'is set forth most clearly in the Declaration of Independence, . .. a timeless statement of inherent rights, the proper purposes of government, and the limits on political authority.' Unfortunately, this was not the creed that the President proclaimed in his speech."

My Take on Wikileaks

Forget About Leaks, The Real Problem is Slipshod Diplomacy, Yorkshire Post, December 8, 2010. "If you work in the government, and you disagree with a policy, you have only two honorable choices: follow the policy and keep your mouth shut, or resign and speak out. Over the past decade, U.S. officials – and in particular the State Department and the intelligence services – have cultivated a third way, an ethic of irresponsible leaking."

Advise and Consider on New START

Morning Bell: No Rush to Judgment on New START, Heritage Foundation Foundry, June 24, 2010. "Last week, Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) expressed concern over the U.S.-Russian Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) now before the Senate. The senator particularly questioned the treaty’s limits on America’s “ability to advance our missile defense” and its “failure to deter proliferation and future attacks on our nation and allies.” Given the consequences that New START poses for U.S. national security and the calls for its swift passage, Inhofe is right to ask questions – and the entire Senate is obligated to do so, as well."

Introduction to Book on Obama Nuclear Agenda

Dangerous Road: The Nuclear Policies of the Obama Administration, Center for Security Policy, June 17, 2010. "On 8 April, 2010, President Obama and Russian President Medvedev signed the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or "New START," lowering the limit on deployed strategic nuclear weapons by either nation. The following week, President Obama hosted the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., the stated purpose of which was to address "the threat of nuclear materials in the hands of terrorists or criminals." Against this backdrop, three panels of distinguished experts on nuclear policy convened in Washington, D.C. to offer critical assessment of President Obama's nuclear agenda-and whether it is compatible with maintaining an American nuclear arsenal that can credibly, reliably, and effectively address today's threats. The panels were organized under the auspices of the Heritage Foundation, the American Enterprise Institute, the Center for Security Policy and its New Deterrent Working Group."

Obama's Faulty Nuclear Vision

Obama Needs to Refocus His Vision Over Nuclear Weapons, Yorkshire Post, April 14, 2010. "Nuclear weapons are in the news again. But the focus of attention isn't dictatorial North Korea, whose weapons are under no international control. Nor is the spotlight on Iran's programme, even as its tyrannical leaders crush their own people, support terrorism across the Middle East, and threaten Israel's annihilation. The focus is on the United States. And, even stranger, it's the President of the United States who put it there by signing a new arms treaty with Russia. The spotlight will only brighten this week when Obama hosts his nuclear security summit in Washington."