In just the past few days, the U.S. Catholic Bishops have reiterated the moral case for the New START treaty as "a modest step toward a world with greater respect for human life." The secretaries of state for the past five Republican presidents have reiterated the national security case for "an agreement that is clearly in our national interest." And Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that if the treaty is held up, Russia will "have to react" and may increase the number of its nuclear weapons rather than reducing them.
And the Republican response? All 42 Senate Republicans signed a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid vowing to block any legislation except extending the Bush tax cuts and financing government operations.
This "if you don't play my way then I won't play" attitude is now threatening the future of the world. Taking another step toward reducing the number of nuclear weapons is too important for partisan games.
Duane Shank is senior policy advisor at Sojourners.
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