Non-STARTer

Dick Lugar has played his part in opposing almost the entire Obama agenda, but he at least seems to be serious about the START treaty, and he takes the effort to shut Mitt Romney up about attacking it.

Romney penned an op-ed for the Washington Post on Tuesday calling START Obama's "worst foreign policy mistake yet."

The former presidential candidate said the treaty would "impede missile defense" and "gives far more to the Russians than to the United States."

Lugar, ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a proponent of the treaty, issued a lengthy statement today rebutting Romney's arguments.

"Governor Mitt Romney's hyperbolic attack on the New START Treaty in the July 6 edition of The Washington Post repeats discredited objections and appears unaware of arms control history and context," Lugar said.

"In advancing these arguments, he rejects the Treaty's unequivocal endorsement by the Defense Department led by Secretary Robert Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Indiana Republican continued. "He also distances himself from prominent Republican national security leaders, including Jim Schlesinger, Henry Kissinger, James Baker, and Brent Scowcroft, who have backed the Treaty after thoughtful analysis."

Why it almost seems like Lugar is determined to actually vote for something Obama did.  Any Republican Senator not from Maine or not named Lindsey is actually news if they do it.  Of course, it looks more like Lugar is covering his own ass as ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.  Romney may have drawn first blood, but Lugar is going to be under a lot of pressure to scuttle this treaty, or at least delay it for as long as possible.

Republicans will not give Obama any more success stories between now and November.  Count on that.