US President Barack Obama, with Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev, delivers remarks during a bilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Singapore, 15 November 2009. Photo from NoviniteSTART Has Passed, But Tactical Arms Remain An Issue -- Washington Post
What to do about Russia's overwhelming advantage in tactical nuclear weapons was among several tough issues for the Obama administration that emerged from the Senate debate on the new nuclear treaty.
Although public opinion was not a factor in the New START debate - polls showed overwhelming support for the arms-reduction agreement - questions about President Obama's toughness when it comes to Moscow were repeatedly raised, previewing a guaranteed GOP issue in the 2012 election.
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My Comment: The key sentence in this Washington Post story is the following ....
Talking to reporters last week, a State Department official seemed to be trying to quell any expectation of quick progress on the issue of tactical weapons.
The White House is now admitting that they are unsure on what will be Russia's response to eliminating their tactical nuclear arsenal. Well .... if the Russian media is any barometer on Russian political opinion .... the bottom line is they see no reason why they should proceed with talks.
But my gut tells me that they will attend talks if Missile Defense is offered on the table. To get them to the table .... I would not be surprised if President Obama offers it to them.