Brian Beutler notes a remarkable complaint from Senate Republicans on the new START treaty:
Finally, Republicans claim that they have not had enough time to review new START, and fault Democrats for putting it on the floor at the last minute and hopscotching back and forth between debating the treaty and considering other issues.
Democrats laugh at this last claim. The treaty, they note, was signed by the President on April 8, 2010. Yesterday, they issued a press release highlighting "a few things that happened while Republicans failed to read the START Treaty," including:
"Chilean Miners trapped and released."
"Lindsay Lohan returned to rehab, was released, and went back in again."
START was signed in April. The treaty itself is seventeen pages long. The Republicans opposed to start on these grounds might as well be complaining that the dog ate their homework.
Buetler also notes that Republicans are complaining about the repeal of DADT, which is really strange. START doesn't concern some Democratic pet project, it's about maintaining the ability to monitor Russia's nuclear arsenal. That's either an important U.S. interest or it isn't. If it is--and I think there's no question that it is--then scuttling the treaty over a post-DADT temper tantrum reflects some seriously twisted Republican priorities.