McCain's Flawed Approach to Halting Nuclear Proliferation

Way back last October, Barack Obama tackled the issue of nuclear proliferation, and explained why the U.S. should drastically reduce its stockpiles to lower the threat of nuclear terrorism. The Obama policy was largely in line with the bipartisan approach taken a few months earlier by George Shultz, secretary of state in the Reagan administration; Henry Kissinger, secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations; William Perry, secretary of defense in the Clinton administration; and Sam Nunn, a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

And what of the GOP nominee? John McCain has been unusually reticent on the subject, but tackled the proliferation issue today in Denver.

John McCain is faulting both Republicans and Democrats on their efforts to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

The likely Republican presidential nominee favors an approach that doesn’t rely too heavily on either direct talks or military force to reduce the spread of nuclear weapons.

McCain spoke on the issue Tuesday at the University of Denver.

He said: “If you look back over the past two decades, I don’t think any of us, Republican or Democrat, can take much satisfaction in what we’ve accomplished to control nuclear proliferation.”

McCain’s triangulating notwithstanding, he’s largely right about the need for more progress, but the problem is with how he’d like to change the status quo. Or, in this case, how he wouldn’t.