Colin Powell,  START

Colin Powell Urges Senate Ratification of Obama START Treaty with Russia

Political cartoon from Michael Ramirez

Now, I know the U.S. Senate does not wish to rush ratification of the START Treaty during the lame duck session of the Congress.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell says a stalled nuclear treaty with Russia gives the U.S. the tools it needs to verify Russian nuclear activities and should be ratified by the Senate as soon as possible.

Meeting at the White House with President Obama, the retired four-star Army general and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman lent his clout to treaty backers. Powell said Wednesday that senators with doubts about the treaty had raised appropriate concerns, but that Obama had addressed them.

Obama renewed his call for the Senate to act on the treaty during the current post-election congressional session.

There are too many new Senators that will take office in January and some Senators have complained that the treaty has not been given a full debate. Colin Powell’s endorsement is really the icing on the cake – remember all of those WMD’s they found in Iraq?

The U.S. Senate should defer this matter for the next Congress and with a full floor debate.