BillCosby

One more reason why it is bad to be electing a king of the world every four years..........

Is the idiot fearful the public is gonna squawk???? WTF could it be that would have him fear that. THe sheepl have let him do whatever the hell he wanted so far........... It must be pretty bad if he is afraid the sheep will be upset............. Once the deal is done they will just accept it & move on.......... BBBBbbBBBAAAaaaAAAA!!!!


State Department Asks Congress To Keep Quiet About Details of Deal

Washington's civil nuclear deal with India is in such desperate straits that the State Department has imposed unusually strict conditions on the answers it provided to questions posed by members of Congress: Keep them secret.

The State Department made the request, even though the answers are not classified, because officials fear that public disclosure would torpedo the deal, sources said. The agreement would give New Delhi access to U.S. nuclear technology for the first time since it conducted a nuclear test in 1974, but leftist parties in the coalition government remain skeptical and view it as a possible infringement on India's sovereignty.

Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the late chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, agreed to the request in February, and the current chairman, Rep. Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.), has abided by that commitment, though Berman is not considered a strong supporter of the deal. A group of prominent nonproliferation experts has decried the "virtual 'gag' order," but thus far, the answers have not leaked, in part because only a handful of congressional officials have been able to read them.

"The administration's unwillingness to make their answers more widely available suggests they have something to hide from either U.S. or Indian legislators," said Daryl Kimball, director of the Arms Control Association.

President Bush's agreement with India, considered a key part of the administration's foreign policy legacy, is designed to solidify Washington's relationship with a fast-emerging economic power. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh agreed to the pact in July 2005, but it has faced many hurdles. If Congress gives the deal final approval, India will be able to engage in civil nuclear trade with the United States, even though it has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The nearly 50 questions posed by Congress are highly technical, but they were carefully crafted to get to the heart of the balancing act the administration has performed between adhering to the letter of U.S. nonproliferation law and assuaging Indian concerns that it was not being treated like a true nuclear power.

Congress passed a law, known as the Hyde Act, to provisionally accept the agreement, but some lawmakers have raised concerns about whether the implementing agreement negotiated by the administration fudges critical details.

For instance, one of the questions pertains to whether the United States would terminate nuclear trade if India resumes nuclear testing. This is a sensitive point in India and is required under U.S. law, but the answer is not entirely clear from the text of the U.S.-India agreement.

Another series of questions addresses the commitment by the United States to supply India with a "reliable supply of fuel" for its reactors, including a pledge to take steps to "guard against the disruption of fuel supplies." A series of questions asks whether these commitments are legally binding, whether the two governments agree on the definition of a fuel supply disruption and whether the commitments would be affected by a nuclear test.

At one point, the lawmakers question whether these commitments in the implementing agreement are consistent with the Hyde Act.

Given the pointed nature of the questions, sources said the State Department had little choice but to be candid with lawmakers about the answers, in ways that senior State Department officials had not been in public.

Lynne Weil, a spokeswoman for the committee, said the State Department provided a lot of information, but the committee has agreed not to disclose the answers because "some data might be considered diplomatically sensitive." She said the nuclear deal still must come back to Congress for final approval, and, at that point, public hearings will be held and "the questions will come up again."

State said it had no plans to make the answers public. "We've handled answers to sensitive questions in an appropriate way that responded to congressional concerns," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey. "We're going to continue with that approach."

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

OldManOnFire

I suppose, thanks to insane-Bush, that nuclear proliferation is at it's highest point since WWII. It's sort of like beer...everybody wants some!

And I don't blame any of them for wanting nuclear weapons to protect themselves and/or even the playing field. If I was a sovereign nation, and felt that my future might be controlled by the ever-increasing axis-of-evil nations, or that international bully...the USA, I would want some nuclear technology.

And what about the tens of thousands of people in this world who have been integral to the design and implementation of nuclear technology...aren't they free to live anywhere, work anywhere, and exchange their knowledge about nuclear technology? Assuming this, then I suppose almost any nation, or rebel group, with the resources will have no problem whatsoever obtaining all the necessary information.

It will be great if a meteorite strikes the Earth, or some rogue interstellar bacteria arrives here and kills everything...but how stupid will we be to annihilate ourselves with nuclear technology...

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...

BillCosby

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror

chrisbb

it alarms me that nobody seems to care about this

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Spongebob Squarepants-The Final Sponge Down

DRS112

and there we have it goddamnit...remember all of those people who were saying that Hillary's "obliterate" Iran statement would deter them from wanting a nuclear weapon?

OldManOnFire

Who are those 'nobody' that you speak of?

And what is it that they do not care about?

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...

OldManOnFire

Clinton's statement was in response to 'if' Iran was to make a 'nuclear' attack against Israel.

Of course there would be repocusions for such an attack from Iran or any nation who would initiate an unprovoked nuclear attack against any other nation.

I don't agree with wars but serious threats of retaliation for unprovoked attacks is certainly okay...I'm sure this comment got the attention of the government and citizens of Iran.

Again I don't blame Iran for wanting nuclear technology for defense of their nation, but there can be no tolerance for using nuclear or any weapons in unprovoked attacks...

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...

chrisbb

i should have explained. i had not seen this in the media, only here. it freaks me out when this kind of stuff is not made known

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Spongebob Squarepants-The Final Sponge Down

VKMHVM2

So did you watch American Idol last night?

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It's All Here!

Dr. Albert Pastore: An Independent Investigation of 9-11 and the War on Terrorism

OldManOnFire

If we knew of all the stuff going on in our local and federal governments we would probably pack up and leave the country.

I think US CITIZENS are on a need-to-know basis. If the self-appointed elite believe we need to know something, they will throw us a few bones. Other than this we're supposed to go shopping and have 100% confidence and faith in their management of the country...and the world...excuse me while I go vomit!!!

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...