Political Quotes

“A central tenet of the Obama Administration's security policy is that, if the U.S. "leads by example" we can "reassert our moral leadership" and influence other nations to do things. It is the way the President intends to advance his goal of working toward a world free of nuclear weapons and to deal with the stated twin top priorities of the Administration: nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism. This morning, I want to test this thesis--to explore whether, for example, limiting our nuclear capability will cause others who pose problems to change their policies. To begin the discussion, let me mention just three specific examples of things the administration has done to "lead by example." First, the Administration's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) changed U.S. declaratory policy to limit the circumstances under which the U.S. would use nuclear weapons to defend the nation on the theory that if we appear to devalue nuclear weapons, other states will similarly devalue them and choose not to obtain them. The downside, of course, is that such emphasis on nuclear weapons only reminds states, including rogue regimes, of their value.”