GOP senators press Obama on missile defense

“Not having to worry about the judgment of the American
people on this important national security issue may allow more flexibility to
make concessions to the Russians, but it would be antithetical to our safety
and security and would be counter to other assurances you’ve given,” the senators
wrote.

{mosads}The senators warned that agreements limiting the speed and
range of U.S. missile defense systems would go against assurances Obama made
when the New START treaty with Russia was ratified in 2010.

They also pressed Obama about a provision in the National
Defense Authorization Act that placed limitations on sharing missile defense
information with Russia.

“We caution that any attempt to treat this provision
as non-binding, as you claimed in your signing statement, could have serious
repercussions,” they wrote.

The letter was signed by 43 Republicans, with four
Republican senators not joining: Sens. Scott Brown (Mass), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.),
Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Rand Paul (Ky.).