Sen. DeMint Questions The Implications Of The New START Treaty

By Justine Rellosa- Talk Radio News Service

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) expressed unease with the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) Thursday at a conference on missile defense hosted by the American Foreign Policy Council.

“I think we have the technology, the capability and the responsibility as a federal government to defend our citizens, and to sign a major treaty that agrees in perpetuity to make ourselves vulnerable to a nuclear attack ... I can’t accept that when we have the capability to change it,” DeMint said.

In recent days, DeMint has argued that the START Treaty is flawed since it seeks to limit both the U.S. and Russia to the same sized arsenal, despite the international responsibilities the U.S. holds to protect its allies.

On Thursday, the senator voiced concern that the START Treaty has “nothing to do with defending against Russian missiles" and claimed that the reduction of arms will do little to discourage provocative behavior from rogue nations.

“This idea that ... [reducing] the number of offensive weapons that we have is going to encourage Iran and North Korea to play a responsible role in the world is absurd," said DeMint. "If we’re willing to submit to mutually assured destruction with Russia, what’s to say that we won’t make that same agreement with Iran?”

Former Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, who appeared with DeMint, said that nuclear threats will continue to evolve and that he expects to see additional launches from Iran and North Korea.

“I do believe that the threat will continue to progress. I expect that we’re going to see additional launches from both Iran and North Korea ... I believe that the Iranians will be flying a 4,000 kilometer rated missile in the next 2-3 years.”

9/11 Commission Members Suggest Reforming Terrorist Watchlist

By Justine Rellosa- Talk Radio News Service

Former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean (R) and former Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-Ind.), the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission, testified before the House Homeland Security Committee to discuss the challenge of evolving terrorist threats and the need to re-frame the nation’s watchlist.

Hamilton argued that the U.S. should have a single terrorist watchlist available to the entire intelligent and law enforcement community.

“We’ve not done a very good job of integrating the watchlist or assuring its accuracy and we just keep adding thousands and thousands of additional names to it. So I think the watchlist needs a lot of work,” Hamilton said at Wednesday’s hearing.

Kean directed his focus toward the attempted bombings in New York's Times Square and a commercial airliner Christmas eve and commented on how they showcased the problem of threat detection.

“I think the Christmas Day bomber, and perhaps the Times Square bomber, did us a huge favor. It got us to look again at the watchlist and the problems with it. It got us to look at the problems of information sharing again,” Kean said. “It focused our attention at a time when our attention quite naturally wandered.”

Both Kean and Hamilton called for pushing forward with intelligence reform and passing legislation that will strengthen governmental institutions that are designed to fight international terrorism and threats to the U.S.

“The burden is on the President now to clarify who’s in charge of the intelligence community... As long as you leave it to the inter-agency process, without clear direction from the President, you are not going to have an integrated intelligence product,” Hamilton said.

Salazar Decries Finger-Pointing Over BP Spill, Details Response Efforts

By Justine Rellosa-Talk Radio News Service

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar decried the blame game being played in Congress following the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast during a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

"This is a matter where we all have collective responsibility. The finger-pointing that could easily occur, and is already occurring, is not going to get us to where we wan to get," Salazar said. "The President has directed us to fix this problem now, and to make sure that this problem never occurs again."

Salazar discussed strategies that are currently being implemented to contain the spill. Sometime this weekend a "dynamic kill" of the oil well will take place. According to the Interior Secretary, they will "kill the well by essentially putting in junk that will go into the blow-out prevention mechanism."

One mitigation effort, the riser insertion tube, is currently collecting 1,500-2,000 gallons of oil daily.

Salazar stressed that BP will pay back the costs incurred by those affected by the disaster.

"At the end of the day, every cent that is required to make the American people whole and to make the environment whole will, in fact, be there."

Secretary Napolitano Defends The Administration's Response To BP Spill

By Justine Rellosa-Talk Radio News Service

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano defended the Obama administration's response to the massive oil spill off the Gulf Coast during her testimony Monday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure that vital response assets and personnel and equipment are efficiently and effectively deployed and utilized," Napolitano said.

According to the Secretary, more than 17,000 paid personnel, 21,000 volunteers and 750 vessels are currently responding to the spill.

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I. Conn.), the committee's chairman, took a less favorable approach to the government's activity prior to the spill.

"The U.S government has a responsibility for protecting the public safety ... and that responsibility, I fear was not fulfilled in this case prior to the accident occurring. The result is the human, environmental and economic catastrophe we are now witnessing in the gulf."

Napolitano reiterated that the financial responsibility for all claims that emerged from the spill falls upon BP.

"We are ensuring that British Petroleum, as the responsible party, is paying the costs of the clean up and compensating the individuals, communities, and businesses that have suffered already as the result of this spill."

BP America Chairman and President Lamar McKay told the committee that there will be a new online claims filing system that will be implemented starting this week as a means to help those affected by the slick.

Holder Highlights New Times Square Arrests, Defends Trying Terrorists In Federal Courts

By Justine Rellosa-Talk Radio News Service

Attorney General Eric Holder told the House Judiciary Committee Thursday that the Department of Justice had issued search warrants earlier in the day that ultimately led to the apprehension of several individuals identified during the investigation of the Times Square bombing attempt.

Holder raised the fact to highlight the effectiveness of confronting terrorists within the U.S. justice system.

“The concern I have is that people want to take away from us the ability to bring cases in the federal courts,” Holder said. “You take away from us an extremely valuable tool; you actually weaken this country; you weaken our ability to fight this war against those that would do this nation harm.”

The Attorney General added that he is making a conscious effort to keep his Department from becoming ensnared in politics.

“I will not allow this department of Justice to be politicized,” said Holder. “I want the American people to know that, right or wrong, the decisions that I make are based on the facts and on the law and have no basis in politics.”