START Provisions Could Weaken U.S. Missile Defense, Say Experts

By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service

Vague language in parts of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) could limit the United States’ ability to improve its missile defense system, according to experts at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C..

Currently the treaty would link missile defense limits to limits on offensive missile systems. Russian officials are using this to claim that their nation has the right to ignore the treaty and increase their nuclear missile count if the United States upgrades or expands its missile defense system in any way (provide a link to a story that confirms this).

“It was so important to the Russians, this one piece of preamble langauge in the treaty, that on the day the treaty was signed they released a unilateral statement saying that ‘Based on this preambluar language, the United States cannot…enhance its missle defenses, otherwise we’re going to withdraw under article 14,’” said Steven Groves with the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C..

Henry Sokolski, Executive Director of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, said the U.S. should stop confronting Russia, but instead should try to work with the Russians on issues such as growing weapon stocks in China. He said the U.S. should support denuclearizing some of its warheads if Russia and China agree to do the same.

In addition to the START treaty, Sokolski recommended that the U.N. begin to impose heavy sanctions on nations that violate nuclear agreements.

He also noted that it would be very helpful for the U.S. to use economic leverage over nuclear suppliers like China, Russia, France, Japan, and Korea. Currently, these nations are selling reactors unregulated in the Middle East, effectively under-cutting the restraints the U.S. is pushing for.

No Solution Coming Out Of Health Care Summit, Claims Policy Analyst

By Laurel Brishel Prichard University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

According to Robert Moffit, Director of Health Care Policy at the Heritage Foundation, Thursday's White House hosted health care summit did not progress the ongoing debate over health care reform.

"There was obviously no solution to the outstanding differences between [parties]," Moffit told Talk Radio News.

Moffit added that if Democrats pass a health care bill by side-stepping traditional order by resorting to reconciliation, it will not be an easy process.

"Is it possible for them to do it? Yes, I think it is," Moffit said. "You could maybe pass a bill through the budget reconciliation process but it's going to look like Swiss cheese ... because certain provisions would be [declared] out of order. Then you have a mess on your hands."

According to Moffit, Congress should work on areas that already have bipartisan support, such as providing insurance for low income working families that are not able to get coverage through their employer and allowing states to enact their own style of health care. Congress should allow for interstate commerce that would give consumers the ability to purchase their preferred insurance from another state.

"There's no reason why we can't have very significant progress in health care reform, which would significantly reduce the number of people who are uninsured and at the same time break the log jam in Washington," said Moffit.

Obama May Disappoint At Copenhagen

Travis Martinez-University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

As the climate change summit in Copenhagen looms, analysts believe Obama’s efforts may end in disappointment.

Following Congress’ failure to finalize climate change legislation, it appears that the president will be showing up empty handed.

“My grandmother used to say ‘whenever you visit someone you shouldn’t come empty handed.’ As the American delegation heads to Copenhagen, they don’t have the legislation that they wanted or regulations towards some step of climate regulation,” said Ben Lieberman, Senior Policy Analyst with the Heritage Foundation, during a panel discussion at the National Press Club. “This time, the strategy was to get much more done domestically and then go to Copenhagen to make it international. As we know the bill has stalled in the Senate and it faces an uncertain future.”

Lieberman added that the formation of a significant treaty at the Summit is also unlikely.

“China and other fast developing nations, mainly China, don’t want binding and verifiable targets. The U.S. and other nations from the developed World have already come to the realization that emissions growth from these nations is growing so fast that exempting them would make a treaty almost pointless,” said Lieberman.

Lieberman called an EPA announcement earlier today declaring carbon dioxide a pollutant a “consolation prize” and “first stage of regulation beyond getting legislation.”

Experts Analyze Pros And Cons Of Health Care Reform

By Marianna Levyash - Talk Radio News Service

Sara Collins of the Commonwealth Fund and Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation shared their differences over the costs and benefits of health care reform during a briefing held Friday at the Alliance for Health Reform headquarters in Washington, D.C..

The Commonwealth Fund recently released a study on how effective the system reform provisions are in the House and Senate bills. They found that both bills are practical and contain key provisions that target cost and quality.

“Both bills substantially expand coverage to 94-96% of people...the major effect is on the uninsured,” said Collins.

Butler disagreed, arguing that both bills will create “troubling areas of affordability in legislation.” Specifically, Butler expressed disapproval over proposals involving higher taxes and employee insurance mandates.

“We will soon see pressures to afford other things in our economy,” said Butler. “The cost is squeezing out funds to have for our education and other goals that we have in our society.”

U.S. Needs To Bolster Cybersecurity, Says Former Homeland Security Official

Travis Martinez, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Former Homeland Security Council Chairman Frances Fragos Townsend Thursday examined national security threats that continue to challenge the U.S. government, particularly in the arena of cybersecurity.

“We need the personnel we have inside the U.S. government with technical backgrounds in intelligence agencies who will be collectors who know how to ask the right questions,” said Townsend during a key-note address at the Heritage Foundation.

Townsend said that one of her last tasks as council chair was a $17 billion push for enhanced cyber security. However, Townsend explained that while the funds are now available, hiring new personnel will pose an obstacle since the U.S. will be drawing from a pool of employees who have experience in the private sector and could thus come to the jobs with conflicting interests.

Townsend also called for technical advancement in the analysis of security risks posed by weapons of mass destruction, either by a state or non-state actors. One of these risks, according to Townsend, is detecting those responsible.

“There has to be a degree of certainty on who you’re going to respond to,” said Townsend.