Posted on 05/12/2009 12:13:47 PM PDT by MattAMiller
Obama's new budget plan includes a little-noted sea change in U.S. nuclear policy, and a step towards his vision of a denuclearized world. It provides no funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, created to design a new generation of long-lasting nuclear weapons that don't need to be tested. (The military is worried that a nuclear test moratorium in effect since 1992 might endanger the reliability of an aging US arsenal.) But this spring Obama issued a bold call for a world free of nuclear weapons, and part of that vision entails leading by example. That means halting programs that expand the American nuclear stockpile. For the past two budget years the Democratic Congress has refused to fund the Bush-era program. But Obama's budget kills the National Nuclear Security Administration program once and for all.
"My colleagues just stared at that line," says Joe Cirincione, a longtime nonproliferation expert and president of the Ploughshares Fund. "They had never seen anything like that." Killing the program, he said, was "the first programmatic impact of the new [zero nukes] policy. People have said they want to see more than words, this is the very first action." Here's the relevant language from Obama's budget explaining the thinking behind the move:
In the upcoming year, NNSA will participate in the national debate to lay out a vision for our nation’s nuclear security and non-proliferation goals. This vision is based on the reality that nuclear security is not just about warheads and the size of the stockpile. The vision emphasizes that we must increase our focus on nuclear security and transforming the Cold War nuclear weapons complex into a 21st century national security enterprise. We must ensure our evolving strategic posture places the stewardship of our nuclear arsenal, nonproliferation programs, missile defenses, and the international arms control objectives into one comprehensive strategy that protects the American people and our allies.
One particularly interesting angle here: Obama has overruled his secretary of defense, Robert Gates, who has been pushing for months to maintain the warhead program. Last October, Gates warned that
"[t]o be blunt, there is absolutely no way we can maintain a credible deterrent and reduce the number of weapons in our stockpile without resorting to testing our stockpile or pursuing a modernization program."
But even though "modernization" has now been halted, Obama will almost certainly not resume nuclear testing. So one has to presume Gates is not a happy camper on this score.
Gates needs to resign. Obama just violated his oath of office.
This is the last straw: We must find a way to have him removed from office ASAP!!
That worthless commie POS better be steamrolled by Congress on this. What a marxist quisling we have on our hands.
“... a step towards his vision of a denuclearized world.”
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More correctly “a step towards his vision of a UNILATERALLY denuclearized world. The world’s punks and commies aren’t going to stop their nuke programs just because Clown Car says so.
How does pres__ent zero spell relief?
T-R-E-A-S-O-N!
Worse than Carter.
So, Iran getting nukes is no big deal. Protecting ourselves from nuclear missile attack is bad and having our own nukes as a deterrent is bad as well. I’m sure having standing Armed Forces of any kind is a bad thing as well, so, is that next?
hey if a murderer was pointing a .45 at me, yeah I’d lay down mine, that oughta convince him not to murderer me........what idiotic reasoing
TREASON!!!!!
Second that! Obama is also a traitor and should be impeached.
He is NOT upholding his oath to protect our nation. He needs to be impeached. !!! N-O-W !
He was only kidding when he took it the first (and second) time!
Obama is damned and determined to get us all killed!
Those who beat their swords into plowshares plow for those who didn’t. God Help The USA!!
Terminations to military weapons Programs:
•Complete shutdown of the C-17 Globemaster production line.
•Termination of the Air Force’s CSAR-X Helicopter Program.
•Complete shutdown of the F-22 Raptor production line.
•Elimination of Manned Ground Vehicles from the Future Combat Systems Program.
•Complete termination of the Multiple Kill Vehicle Program.
•Termination of the Air Force’s Transformational Satellite Program.
•Termination of the VH-71 Presidential Helicopter Program
•Termination of the Reliable Replacement Warhead program.
•Termination of the Next Generation Bomber Program
•Complete shutdown of the Yucca Mountain Repository.
Reductions to military programs:
•Airborne Laser Program.
•Aircraft Carrier build schedule.
•Ground-based, Mid-Course Defense Program.
•USMC LPD-17 and USN Mobile Landing Platform.
•Navy CG-X Cruiser.
•End-strength recruiting and retention adjustments.
•According to Obama, terminating the next-generation V-71 Presidential helicopter is fiscally responsible, but it isn’t really being cut.
This should create plenty of shovel ready jobs, unless Obama decides to incinerate those of us who don’t survive.
btt
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