In a speech today, Senator Barack Obama will propose ridding the world of nuclear weapons, according to Jeff Zeleny of The New York Times:
Senator Barack Obama will propose on Tuesday setting a goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons in the world, saying the United States should greatly reduce its stockpiles to lower the threat of nuclear terrorism, aides say.In a speech at DePaul University in Chicago, Mr. Obama will add his voice to a plan endorsed earlier this year by a bipartisan group of former government officials from the cold war era who say the United States must begin building a global consensus to reverse a reliance on nuclear weapons that have become "increasingly hazardous and decreasingly effective."
Mr. Obama, according to details provided by his campaign Monday, also will call for pursuing vigorous diplomatic efforts aimed at a global ban on the development, production and deployment of intermediate-range missiles.
"In 2009, we will have a window of opportunity to renew our global leadership and bring our nation together," Mr. Obama is planning to say, according to an excerpt of remarks provided by his aides. "If we don't seize that moment, we may not get another."
His speech was to come one day after an announcement by the Bush administration that it had tripled the rate of dismantling nuclear weapons over the last year, putting the United States on track to reducing its stockpile of weapons by half by 2012.
Read the entire article at the link above. Obama earns points for consistency: he seems determined to remind voters of his inexperience in foreign affairs and his naivety in approaching them, as when he promised to meet face-to-face with the leaders of rogue nations like North Korea and Iran without preconditions.
The problem with all disarmament schemes has always been compliance. The current reductions in nuclear arms by the US and Russia only became possible when the (then) Soviets finally agreed to on-site verification - to which they acquiesced after Reagan convinced them there would be no deal, and he would outspend them on both offensive and defensive weaponry, if they did not.
Today, the IAEA cannot even inspect facilities in nations suspected of attempting to build nuclear weapons without the permission of the nations involved. It's entirely possible to acquire nuclear capability under the world's radar, as the surprise entries to the "nuclear club" by China, South Africa, India, Pakistan, and Israel (which still doesn't confirm they have nukes), or the voluntary revelation of the Libyan program.
Advancing technology has always been a double-edged sword, and nuclear research illustrates this well. It's becoming easier, not harder, to research, develop, and build these weapons even as it becomes more difficult to inspect and restrain those nations who do not wish to be inspected or restrained.
Consider what Obama asks: First, all nuclear nations must be convinced to give up their own arsenals, a virtually impossible task in itself (except, of course, "in principle," but not in fact). Next, we must all believe we can trust the likes of Putin, the Chinese, and the Pakistanis (who, for years, did not even know what their own nuclear program was doing in proliferating the technology) not to cheat on the agreement by hiding some weapons. Then, all the nations with secret programs must be persuaded to confess them and disarm. Finally, the rogue nations like Iran must be trusted to never develop them or stop ongoing programs. For this hope (and many prayers), we give up the weapons which averted another world war for half a century.
We'd stand a better chance of getting rid of nukes by forming the world's largest hippies' drum circle, with Obama in the center holding a crystal, hoping to catch the light just right . . .
The "audacity of hope," indeed.



Comments (29)
Through FrnakJ, we learn th... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Veeshir | October 2, 2007 3:08 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Through FrnakJ, we learn that Don Rumsfeld has a plan for making the world nukular free.
Reporter "North Korea says they need nuclear weapons so they can reduce the size of their military. What is your response to that?"
Don Rumsfeld "I would like to remind North Korea that we also have a plan for reducing the size of their military that involves nukes.
1. Posted by Veeshir | October 2, 2007 3:08 PM |
Score: 7 (7 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:08
2. Posted by Paul | October 2, 2007 3:12 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
"Obama earns points for consistency: he seems determined to remind voters of his inexperience in foreign affairs and his naivety in approaching them,"
heh- indeed
2. Posted by Paul | October 2, 2007 3:12 PM |
Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:12
3. Posted by Michael | October 2, 2007 3:13 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
You know there is a reason why the Dims have only won 3 presidential elections sine 1968...it is because they of the quality of their candiates...and this year they are continuing their tradition of having no electable candiates...what a ridiculous party. The last capable candiate they had was Hubert Humprey...after him it is a lineup of halfwits and crooks...McGovern, Carter, Mondale, Dukakis, Clinton, Gore , Kerry and now either Hillary or Barack"I'm Green"Obama.
3. Posted by Michael | October 2, 2007 3:13 PM |
Score: 8 (8 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:13
4. Posted by Eric | October 2, 2007 3:24 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Does he really think that if we got rid of our nukes then all of our enemies will then either get rid of their nukes or stop developing their own?
Hey for that matter why don't we scrap every weapon in the U.S. arsenal, rename the Defense Department the Peace Department and turn the Pentagon into subsidized housing? All other countries will follow our example, lay down their arms so we can all join hands and sing kumbaya.
4. Posted by Eric | October 2, 2007 3:24 PM |
Score: 6 (6 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:24
5. Posted by SPQR | October 2, 2007 3:50 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
That's going to be a Kucinich proposal, Eric. Only one proposal to a loon, we gotta economize.
5. Posted by SPQR | October 2, 2007 3:50 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:50
6. Posted by Spurwing Plover | October 2, 2007 3:56 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
I suppose that OBAMA will want to go out in a rainbow mico bus in sandals and have areas declared NUCULAR WEAPONS FREE ZONES KNOWING HOW LIBERAL AND WACKY HE IS why dont he get his head examened instead
6. Posted by Spurwing Plover | October 2, 2007 3:56 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:56
7. Posted by jp2 | October 2, 2007 3:58 PM | Score: -10 (10 votes cast)
Yeah, it's a Democrat problem, except Kissinger and George Schultz were authors. Sorry to let facts get in the way of a good smear!
http://acdn.france.free.fr/spip/article.php3?id_article=261&lang=en
7. Posted by jp2 | October 2, 2007 3:58 PM |
Score: -10 (10 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:58
8. Posted by motopolitico | October 2, 2007 3:59 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
If he wants to reduce the number of nuclear weapons out there without also increasing the risk of more nuclear armed states, there is an easy solution: Build a nuclear reactor in every town and use all the fissile material out there to produce electricity. Heck, we're already doing it with decommissioned russian nukes. Burn up all the uranium out there, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and make hippies angry. Sounds like a win/win to me.
8. Posted by motopolitico | October 2, 2007 3:59 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 15:59
9. Posted by Eric | October 2, 2007 4:00 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Obama plans on renaming the Department of Defense (DoD) to the Department of Peace Everywhere (DoPE), and will name Dennis Kucinich as his SecDEF renamed SecDOPE.
9. Posted by Eric | October 2, 2007 4:00 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 16:00
10. Posted by Jim Addison | October 2, 2007 4:15 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
jp2 ~ Read the second quoted paragraph: "...a plan endorsed earlier this year by a bipartisan group of former government officials from the cold war era..." etc.
Neither Kissinger nor Schultz are running for President, are they?
Moron.
10. Posted by Jim Addison | October 2, 2007 4:15 PM |
Score: 5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 16:15
11. Posted by jp2 | October 2, 2007 4:27 PM | Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Jim - I was actually responding to the commenter Michael, which one could probably figure out via context. Nice comeback though. I'll leave you with some wisdom from the great Lorie Byrd:
"Don't you realize that gives you zero credibility? If you have enough facts on your side to make a coherent argument, then why resort to nasty name calling?"
11. Posted by jp2 | October 2, 2007 4:27 PM |
Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 16:27
12. Posted by Matt | October 2, 2007 5:26 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
One nuclear weapon can ruin your whole day.
How about we get rid of our nuclear weapons one rogue country at a time? Nuke Korea or Iran, and the other countries might just toe the line.
We can Nuke Gaza, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. That should make Israel and some of the Arab nations happy.
Then we can, "Nuke the Gay Whales for Jesus".
12. Posted by Matt | October 2, 2007 5:26 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 17:26
13. Posted by Pretzel_Logic | October 2, 2007 6:13 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
First, let's just say he was elected President. (Hollywood buys it for him somehow??) Americans wouldn't take him seriously much less the rest of the world. Lovely thought though.
13. Posted by Pretzel_Logic | October 2, 2007 6:13 PM |
Score: 3 (3 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 18:13
14. Posted by Mikey | October 2, 2007 7:00 PM | Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
The audacity of dope.
Please keep your mouth shut on issues like defense and foreign affairs because you don't have a clue and it would be nice if you actually provided Hillary with some competition in the primaries.
14. Posted by Mikey | October 2, 2007 7:00 PM |
Score: 0 (2 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:00
15. Posted by Knightbrigade | October 2, 2007 7:12 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
I liked him better when he was a smiling upbeat empty suit.
Now he is filling his head with stupid loony left ideas.
Ya NO nukes, how about some more fantasy goodies like, NO more criminals, cotton candy and gummy bears for everybody!!! ...friggan liberalism is such a mental condition.
15. Posted by Knightbrigade | October 2, 2007 7:12 PM |
Score: 2 (2 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:12
16. Posted by nogo war | October 2, 2007 7:15 PM | Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Yep...we don't want someone like Obama as prez..
Give me Rudi...State of Union Address(his cell ring "Hail to the Chief")Excuse me...I gotta take this...
or Mitt..."I'm really glad Republicans only chant flip-flop for Dems
or Fred..."Ya know I would answer that question but it was a week ago and I don't remember"
or John "I'm batshit crazy" McCain....
So ya...you all have such an all-star line-up
Obama and any Dem candidate is toast....
16. Posted by nogo war | October 2, 2007 7:15 PM |
Score: -5 (5 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:15
17. Posted by Sarkozy | October 2, 2007 7:36 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Well, you can rely on France to give up all her nuclear weapons if you Americans do. Doesn't France always keep it's word? Are we not reliable?
We would never, never keep some nukes in a deep dark cellar just in case those fucking Germans try something, no sir we would not.
17. Posted by Sarkozy | October 2, 2007 7:36 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:36
18. Posted by Merkel | October 2, 2007 7:44 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Like Sarkozy said, you can also rely on Germany to abjure all nuclear weapons if you Americans do. Doesn't the new Germany always keep it's word? Are we not now reliable? Telling you just before WW II that we had no real battleships and that the Bismarck was a garbage scow, surely regrettable but we are past all that, nicht wahr?
We would never, never put some nukes in a deep dark cellar just in case those fucking Frogs piss us off again, no sir we would not. You hear that Sarkozy, you frog weasel, you keep your smart frog mouth shut, and we'll be looking into your verdammt cellars real close, verstehs du mir?
18. Posted by Merkel | October 2, 2007 7:44 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:44
19. Posted by brown | October 2, 2007 7:48 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Merkel, Sarkozy, what is the matter with you people? Do we have to come over there again and...
Oh, hello, Americans, why no we Brits ure utterly reliable. Perfidious Albion? Just a rude insult. The unpleasantness in 1776? All done.
Neither would we put some nukes in a deep dark cellar just in case those fucking Frogs and Krauts get into it again or take some fool notion to invade the UK, no sir we would not.
19. Posted by brown | October 2, 2007 7:48 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:48
20. Posted by Hirohito | October 2, 2007 7:51 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
We have no nukes, nope, never will. Banzai.
Merkel, give me a call, we'll talk. Check with the Wops, see if they want to get together for old times sake.
20. Posted by Hirohito | October 2, 2007 7:51 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:51
21. Posted by Putin | October 2, 2007 7:54 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Yeah us too, we're good guys now too.
Maskirovka? Never, what a thing to suggest. No sorry, Siberia is closed.
Merkel, give me a call, Poland is looking mighty plump these days.
21. Posted by Putin | October 2, 2007 7:54 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:54
22. Posted by Kaczyński | October 2, 2007 7:58 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Huh, what'd they say? Plump?
Merkel? Putin? What's up? all friends here right?
Holy shit, call the Jews and the Norks we gotta buy some nukes real quick.
22. Posted by Kaczyński | October 2, 2007 7:58 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 19:58
23. Posted by ObamaRamaLamaDamaDingDong | October 2, 2007 8:00 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Steady on there Kaczyński, Merkel, Putin, Brown, Hirohito, Sarkozy.
You have my word that the Lion shall lay down with the Lamb.
23. Posted by ObamaRamaLamaDamaDingDong | October 2, 2007 8:00 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 20:00
24. Posted by Murky Research
| October 2, 2007 8:04 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
I live in the State of Illinois. That means Senator Dick Durbin, Senator Barack Obama [mis]represent me.
One of the best Obama quotes came from Mike Ditka at the Super Bowl. Da Coach said when asked about not running against Obama for Senate, "If I had run, nobody would know who Barack Obama is."
24. Posted by Murky Research
| October 2, 2007 8:04 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 20:04
25. Posted by JLawson | October 2, 2007 9:14 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Eric -
Does he really think that if we got rid of our nukes then all of our enemies will then either get rid of their nukes or stop developing their own?
Not to ruin a perfectly good off-the-rails thread by getting back on topic... but you ask a very good question there.
If he really believes that - he's so gullible it's pathetic. And I don't believe anyone would get to the position he's in by being stupidly gullible...
That said - he will certainly appeal TO the stupidly gullible who believe unilateral disarmnament will lead to 'peace in our time'. He could pull a Clinton, promising nuclear disarmnament and after he gets elected go "Uh, sorry, no can do on that." Add in a big grin and a mild scandal regarding an intern, and the folks who voted for him on this will be mollified.
But his saying this - even if he didn't mean it (or especially if) - shows a paucity of statesmanlike qualities. The country HAS to come first, with Party second. I don't see anyone on the Democratic side with that sort of thinking, and damned little of it on the Republican side. I wish to God there were a VIABLE third party - maybe both Democrats and Republicans would clean up their respective acts if there were.
25. Posted by JLawson | October 2, 2007 9:14 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 21:14
26. Posted by James Cloninger | October 2, 2007 11:28 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Didn't Obamalamadingdong ever watch "Superman IV-The Quest for Peace?" (okay, not many did, so he's forgiven."
Oh, Superman got rid of the nukes (tossed them into the Sun)...but it didn't stop Lex et al from making more weapons.
Even Hollywood was able to come to the gaping obvious endgame here.
26. Posted by James Cloninger | October 2, 2007 11:28 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 23:28
27. Posted by E Ohlmert | October 2, 2007 11:35 PM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
And if those fucking Nazi bastards are keeping a few in the cellar, you better believe that we are stocking a few for the next bonfire.
Ain't gonna be no Holocaust II here, baby...or WE are going to turn Deutchland into one big gas chamber...ata meiveen otee? אַתָּה מֵבִין אוֹתִי?
27. Posted by E Ohlmert | October 2, 2007 11:35 PM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 2, 2007 23:35
28. Posted by kim | October 3, 2007 7:35 AM | Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
If Nukes are outlawed, only outlaws will have Nukes.
Good move, Obama. The outlaws with nuke makin' moolah are Muslim. Tell me more about that Madrassah.
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28. Posted by kim | October 3, 2007 7:35 AM |
Score: 1 (1 votes cast)
Posted on October 3, 2007 07:35
29. Posted by kim | October 3, 2007 9:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
By the way, 'The Kingdom' comes highly recommended by narciso.
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29. Posted by kim | October 3, 2007 9:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 3, 2007 09:37