COMMENTARY--Bipartisanship--A Short-lived Mirage?

by Bill Breakstone, December 20, 2010


I caught a portion of Candy Crowley’s interview with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell yesterday morning on her CNN program “State of The Union.” McConnell announced he would vote against ratification of the New Start Treaty when the vote comes to the Senate floor later this week. He thus joins fellow Republican Senators John Kyl and Lindsey Graham in declaring they will not vote for the Treaty.

Although the Treaty was signed eight months ago, McConnell stated “rushing it right before Christmas, it strikes me as trying to jam us.” Graham said on “Face the Nation” on CBS “If you really want to have a chance of passing Start, you better start over and do it in the next Congress, because this lame duck has been poisoned.”

So the question is has bipartisanship flown out the window? It was so encouraging to see the Republican and Democratic leadership come together and agree to a compromise Tax Bill. Then “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” passed by a large majority that included a good number of Republicans. However, those few outspoken Senators who were against passage of that bill made such a noise that Senators like Graham, who previously was in favor of Start passage, now are against it. And they take that position despite the support of every living Secretary of State and former President.

As far as Senator McConnell stance is concerned, his reasoning flies in the face of reality. Was not eight months enough time for him to consider the merits of the Treaty?

Thus it looks like it’s back to business as usual in Washington. In other words, No Business!