Rice Misses Root Cause Once Again on Nuclear Arms Race

Secretary Condoleeza Rice remains flat footed. After performing a crude root cause analysis on the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, she follows up with similar poor quality work.

Condi said North Korea’s nuclear weapons test could set off an atomic arms race. Where was the Secretary in 2001 when the United States pulled out of the anti ballistic missile treaty with Russia? Concerns expressed at that time included America’s action could hasten China’s modernization of its nuclear weapons.

Senate leader Tom Daschle said he was concerned withdrawal from the ABM treaty could "rupture relations with key countries around the world," and raises serious questions about future arms races involving other countries.

European leaders expressed concern about the United State’s move towards unilateralism. Bush administration officials made efforts to ease worries in other nations as well. During stops in Berlin, London and Paris, Sec. of State Colin Powell tried to quell European concerns about the consequences of scrapping the treaty, including an arms race.

Norway's deputy foreign minister, Kim Traavig, meanwhile, said the move "risked having serious consequences for the strategic stability that had been created in 1972."

Norway, a NATO member, was more reticent than its Scandinavian neighbor Sweden, which stated that the US decision could lead to new weapons' development and an increase in nuclear proliferation.

In defending the move, Bush cited the greatest threat our country faced was the development of nuclear weapons by rogue states. Despite his grave concern expressed five years ago and best efforts, one of those rogue states appears nuclear capable.