Texas GOP Vote

Here are a few thoughts on 2012 and beyond. In a recent piece in the Weekly Standard, Jay Cost observed that the 2012 election will be close and best case scenario for Republicans would be 51-49. Another aspect is that Obama has appeared to hit the floor as Jay Cost observed, "The Real Clear Politics job approval average has actually found a marginal softening on the disapproval number in the weeks since Election Day, while the approval number has been consistently between 45 and 47 percent.

START Treaty Ratified With Help From Republican Senators

As you may know, along with most conservatives, I opposed ratification of the START Treaty. You can see my previous article on this subject. On Tuesday, December 21, the US Senate voted 71 – 36 to ratify the START treaty with Russia with the help of 13 so-called Republican senators.   Read more »

Today, I spoke on the Senate floor urging colleagues to oppose the current version of the New START Treaty and outlining reasons the treaty would send a message of weakness to America’s adversaries. 

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Here are a few random thoughts that put the week in perspective.

Thought one: A friend of mine observed that with the passage of the recent tax bill; those of us living will not see their taxes go up. Those who will die after January 1st will see their taxes go up.

Thought two: The most intolerant place in the United States may be San Francisco.

Do We Even Need a New START Treaty?

The first START Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union was signed on July 31,1991 and entered into force on December 5, 1994. The START Treaty essentially limited the numbers of nuclear weapons, warheads and other military arms possessed by both sides at the time. It was a treaty between two bitter adversaries and helped, according to some, to lessen the tensions between these two great powers. This original treaty expired on December 9, 2009, but both Russia and the USA informally agreed to continue to observe the terms of the original treaty until a new treaty came into effect.   Read more »