Nuclear Weapons and the Politics of National Security

Senate ratification of the New START treaty with Russia looked like a shoo-in but, after Republicans raised objections, debate went down to the wire. The Pentagon's top brass and Republican cold warriors said it would make America safer, but Senate GOP leaders and other confirmed hawks disagreed. Did the President cave in to Russian demands? What about missile defense? Why were short-range battlefield weapons left out? Will another victory in the lame-duck session advance the cause of a world without nuclear weapons or solidify opposition to the President's vision?